Animal Ordinances in Bessemer, AL (2026)
4 verified animal ordinances for Bessemer, Alabama, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Bessemer requires a county health department permit to keep fowl, chickens or rabbits within 30 feet of a dwelling or 12 feet of a lot line, under City Code Section 14-14. Section 14-23 separately bars keeping any animal at all on a lot under 10,000 square feet, though household pets like dogs and cats are exempt.
Bessemer Backyard Chicken and Fowl Rules
Significant RestrictionsBessemer Code of Ordinances §§ 14-14, 14-23
No person shall keep within the city any fowl, chickens or rabbits within 30 feet of a dwelling house or 12 feet of a lot line without a permit from the county health department. ... (a)No animal shall be kept on any lot or parcel of land within the city consisting of less than 10,000 square feet in area.(b)The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to the keeping of:(1)Sm...
Dog Leash Laws
Bessemer requires every dog on a street, sidewalk or public place to be on a leash held by its owner, under City Code Section 14-60. Section 14-58 separately makes it unlawful for any owner to knowingly let a dog run at large anywhere within the city limits.
Bessemer Dog Leash and At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsBessemer Code of Ordinances §§ 14-58, 14-60
No owner or custodian of any dog shall knowingly allow such dog to run at large within the corporate limits of the city. ... No owner or person in charge of a dog shall cause or permit such dog to run or be ... upon a street, sidewalk, thoroughfare or public place, within the corporate limits of the city, unless the dog is attached to a leash in the hands of the owner or person in charge.
Breed Restrictions
Bessemer doesn't restrict dogs by breed; instead, City Code Section 14-57 requires any dog classified as vicious to be securely confined or bound wherever it's kept, so it can't bite or attack a person or another animal. The duty falls on the owner or anyone else in charge of the dog.
Bessemer's Vicious Dog Confinement Rule
Some RestrictionsBessemer Code of Ordinances § 14-57
No owner or any other person in charge of any vicious dog shall harbor or keep at any place or on any premises within the corporate limits of the city a vicious dog unless the dog is securely confined or bound in such a manner as to prevent it from biting or attacking any person or other animal.
Exotic Pets
Bessemer requires anyone keeping a poisonous reptile or wild animal to register it with the police chief and the county health department, per City Code Section 14-11. The rabies control officer then issues a keeping permit only if the animal isn't a public health risk or likely nuisance, under Section 14-12.
Bessemer Wild Animal and Reptile Rules
Significant RestrictionsBessemer Code of Ordinances §§ 14-11, 14-12
No person shall keep or maintain any poisonous reptile or wild animal without first having registered such animal or reptile with the chief of police and the county department of health. The chief of police may prescribe regulations to ensure the safe penning or caging of such animals. ... The rabies control officer shall issue permits to keep the animals described in section 14-11 when, in his...
Looking for Jefferson County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Bessemer city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Jefferson County →