Animal Ordinances in Bellevue, NE (2026)
11 verified animal ordinances for Bellevue, Nebraska, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, § 6-2 bans letting chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys or other fowl run at large anywhere in the city, and § 6-3 separately bans herding, picketing, lariating or tying horses, mules, cattle, hogs, sheep or goats on any street, alley, park or vacant lot without the property owner's consent.
Bellevue, Nebraska Fowl and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances §§ 6-2, 6-3, 6-9
No owner or keeper of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl or any other fowl shall permit the same to run at large within the city at any time. ... (B) It shall be unlawful for the owner of any horses, mules, cattle, hogs, sheep or goats to herd such animals upon the streets, avenues, alleys, parks, open grounds or public grounds, or to picket, lariat, tie or secure by a rope or other...
Dog Leash Laws
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, § 6-17 requires every dog and cat owner to keep the animal under restraint, on a leash or lead or within the owner's own property, at all times, to exercise proper care preventing a public nuisance, and to confine a female in heat away from other animals.
Bellevue, Nebraska Dog and Cat Restraint Law
Some RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances §§ 6-0, 6-17
RESTRAINT. Any animal secured by a leash or lead or within the real property limits of its owners. ... (A) An owner of a dog or cat shall at all times keep such animal under restraint. (B) An owner shall at all times exercise proper care and control of his/her animals to prevent them from becoming a public nuisance. (C) An owner of a female dog or cat in heat shall at all times confine su...
Breed Restrictions
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, § 6-18 regulates dangerous dogs by documented behavior, not breed: any dog that has bitten, seriously injured or been formally declared dangerous or potentially dangerous must be registered, insured, muzzled, confined and microchipped, whatever breed it is.
Bellevue, Nebraska Dangerous Dog Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances § 6-18
DANGEROUS DOG. ... A dog that, according to the records of the animal control authority: (a) Has killed a human being; (b) Has inflicted injury on a human being that requires medical treatment; ... (f) Is owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of animal fighting; or (g) By training, disposition, or behavior poses a potential risk of attacking and inflicting injury withou...
Beekeeping
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, keeping bees outside agriculturally zoned land requires a permit from the Department of Permits and Inspections under City Code § 6-115. Section 6-117 then caps most residential lots at three hives, bars any hive within 25 feet of a dwelling or property line, and bans hives within 100 feet of a public park.
Bellevue Beekeeping Permit and Hive Setbacks
Significant RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances §§ 6-115, 6-117
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, control, harbor or maintain within the city any bees, hives or boxes containing hives, except in agriculturally zoned areas, without first obtaining a permit for that purpose from the Department of Permits and Inspections. No single permit shall be issued for more than one parcel upon which bees are to be maintained. ... No hive shall be maintained o...
Exotic Pets
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, § 6-4 flatly bans keeping any wild animal, monkeys, raccoons, skunks, foxes, venomous snakes, leopards, tigers, lions and more, as a pet, and only lets zoos, circuses and performing-animal exhibitions keep one for display.
Bellevue, Nebraska Wild Animal Pet Ban
Heavy RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances § 6-4
(A) No person shall keep or permit to be kept on his or her premises any wild animal for display or for exhibition purposes, whether gratuitously or for a fee. This section shall not be construed to apply to zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions or circuses. ... (B) No person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild animal as a pet.
Pet Limits
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, City Code § 6-23 makes it unlawful to own, keep or harbor more than three dogs and/or cats over six months old per residential or dwelling unit. Kennels and holders of a pet animal avocation permit are exempt, and the extra animals allowed under a permit are not added on top of that three-pet cap.
Bellevue Caps Homes at Three Dogs or Cats
Some RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances § 6-23
(A) It shall be unlawful to own, keep or harbor at any time more than a total of three dogs and/or cats over the age of six months per residential or dwelling unit in the city; provided, however, this section shall not apply to kennels or holders of a pet animal avocation permit. (B) The number of animals authorized in section 6-47 shall not be in addition to the total number of animals spe...
Cat Rules
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, caring for a feral cat colony without owning the cats requires a feral cat colony caretaker permit under City Code § 6-57. Permit holders may keep up to 20 adult feral cats on residential-zoned property, or 30 on commercial-zoned property, and must keep at least 80% of the colony spayed, neutered and ear-tipped to renew.
Bellevue Feral Cat Colony Caretaker Permit
Significant RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances §§ 6-57, 6-61
A permit is required for any person who cares for, but does not own feral cats that are part of a feral cat colony. It shall be unlawful for any person to care for a feral cat colony without first obtaining a permit under this division. A person who obtains a feral cat colony caretaker permit for the purposes stated under this division shall not be considered an “owner” of the feral cats under ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Bellevue does not require pet owners to spay or neuter their animals, but City Code § 6-40 charges a differential fee: a dog or cat is presumed unaltered unless the owner shows the licensing authority a veterinarian's sterilization certificate, and the extra portion of the license fee is held in trust rather than kept outright by the city.
Bellevue's Unaltered Pet Fee Trust
Light RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances § 6-40
A dog or cat shall be presumed to be unspayed or unneutered unless the licensing authority is shown a certification by a licensed veterinarian that the animal is permanently sterilized. The sum as described in the Master Fee Schedule from the fee shall be held in trust for the owner of an unspayed or unneutered dog or cat. This trust shall be refunded at any time during the six month period aft...
Microchipping
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, dogs a court finds dangerous, or the animal control authority finally determines potentially dangerous, must be spayed or neutered and microchipped by a licensed veterinarian within 30 days under § 6-18(J); Bellevue's code sets no general microchip mandate for ordinary pets.
Bellevue, Nebraska Dangerous Dog Microchip Rule
Some RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances § 6-18(J)
(J) Dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs; spaying or neutering; microchip identification and license required. Any animal judicially determined to be a dangerous dog (but not ordered to be destroyed), and any animal administratively finally determined to be a potentially dangerous dog, shall be spayed or neutered and implanted with microchip identification by a licensed veterinarian at the...
Pet Store Rules
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, §§ 6-101 through 6-108 require pet shops and every other commercial animal establishment, plus animal shelters, to hold an annual city permit, submit to on-demand inspection of the animals and premises, and lose the permit automatically if the operator is convicted of animal cruelty.
Bellevue, Nebraska Pet Shop Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances §§ 6-101, 6-108
No person shall operate a commercial animal establishment or animal shelter without first obtaining a permit in compliance with this article. ... (C) It shall be a condition of the issuance of any permit or license that the licensing authority shall be permitted to inspect all animals and the premises where animals are kept at any time and shall, if permission for such inspections is refused,...
Pet Groomer Rules
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, a grooming shop, defined in City Code § 6-0 as a commercial establishment where animals are bathed, clipped, plucked or groomed, is a 'commercial animal establishment' under § 6-101 and cannot operate without a permit from the licensing authority, renewed annually and subject to inspection.
Bellevue Permit Required for Grooming Shops
Some RestrictionsBellevue Code of Ordinances §§ 6-0, 6-101
COMMERCIAL ANIMAL ESTABLISHMENT. ... Any pet shop, grooming shop, auction, riding school or stable, zoological park, circus, performing animal exhibit or kennel. ... GROOMING SHOP. A commercial establishment where animals are bathed, clipped, plucked or otherwise groomed. ... No person shall operate a commercial animal establishment or animal shelter without first obtaining a permit in complian...
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