Animal Ordinances in Brookhaven, NY (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Brookhaven, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Brookhaven allows backyard chickens in every residential zoning district but bans roosters outright and caps flock size by lot: Code § 85-892E permits up to six chickens on lots of 20,000 square feet or less and up to 12 on larger lots, with the coop kept out of the front yard.
Brookhaven Backyard Chicken Flock Limits
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 85-892E
E. Chickens and roosters. (1) The housing or harboring of chickens shall be permitted in any residential zoning district subject to the following restrictions: (a) Roosters shall be prohibited. (b) A maximum of six chickens on parcels of land measuring 20,000 square feet or less. (c) A maximum of 12 chickens on parcels of land measuring 20,001 square feet or more. (2) Any accessory building or ...
Dog Leash Laws
In unincorporated Brookhaven, a dog cannot run loose off its owner's property and must be fully controlled on a rope, leash or similar device on any sidewalk, street, park or public place. A collar and license tag are also required whenever the dog is off the property.
Brookhaven Dog Leash & At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 23-3H
No person owning, harboring or having control or custody of a dog shall permit such dog, whether licensed or not, to: (1) Run at large in the unincorporated areas of the Town of Brookhaven elsewhere than on the premises of such person or on the premises of another person with the consent of such other person, unless such person is engaged in hunting wild birds or animals with the aid of such do...
Breed Restrictions
Brookhaven does not ban dogs by breed; § 23-5 instead locks down any dog a court has adjudicated dangerous based on its conduct. Confinement requires a locked, permitted pen 50 feet from property lines with 6-foot sides, a warning sign, a 4-foot leash and a muzzle whenever the dog is out.
Brookhaven Dangerous Dog Confinement Law
Significant RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 23-5A, B
All dangerous dogs shall be securely confined indoors or in a secure, enclosed and locked pen or kennel. The pen, kennel or structure shall be in the rear yard, shall be at least 50 feet from the property lines and have secure sides of six feet in height, and a Town-issued building permit shall be required. The structure shall be locked when the dog is within the structure. The structure shall ...
Wildlife Feeding
Chapter 10A of the Brookhaven Town Code makes it unlawful to feed waterfowl or pigeons in any Town park, adopted in 2005 to curb property damage, water-quality problems and rodent-driven disease risk, with a narrow carve-out for confined birds at Holtsville Ecology Park.
Brookhaven Bans Feeding Waterfowl, Pigeons in Parks
Significant RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 10A-3
It shall be unlawful for any person to feed any waterfowl or pigeon within any Town of Brookhaven park.
Pet Limits
A residential plot in unincorporated Brookhaven may house no more than 10 dogs six months or older. Anyone wanting more must apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a special permit, which requires a filing fee and a biennial renewal fee set by Town Board resolution.
Brookhaven's 10-Dog Household Limit
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 23-3K(1)
Housing or harboring dogs in residential districts. (1) The housing or harboring of dogs shall be permitted in any residential district on the following conditions: No more than 10 dogs, six months of age or older, shall be permitted on any plot in a residential district, except that, upon application, the Board of Appeals, at its discretion, may grant a special permit for the housing or harbor...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Brookhaven does not force every pet owner to spay or neuter, but any dog or cat adopted from the Town animal shelter must be altered before it goes home. The shelter also runs a clinic to alter resident-owned pets when clinic space and staff allow.
Brookhaven Shelter Spay-Neuter Requirement
Light RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 23-9A, B
The animal shelter shall operate a spay-neuter clinic to alter all dogs and cats adopted from the animal shelter and also to alter dogs and cats owned by Brookhaven residents to the extent possible. The fees for altering dogs and cats are established by the Town Board of the Town of Brookhaven and may be amended from time to time. All dogs and cats adopted from the animal shelter which are of s...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Brookhaven does not let a veterinary hospital open wherever the owner wants. Town Code § 85-1 defines the use narrowly and bars overnight boarding except for medical necessity, and the zoning chapter lists it as permitted only in specific business and light-industrial districts, always on the condition that every activity happens inside the building.
Brookhaven Veterinary Hospital Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 85-407
In a J Business District, no building, structure or premises shall be used or occupied and no building or part thereof or other structures shall be so erected or altered, except for one of the following purposes: ... T. Veterinary hospital, provided that all activities take place within the building.
Bird Protection
Brookhaven Code § 9-30 bars disturbing, harming, hunting, trapping, or entering a flagged nesting or foraging area of any bird listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act on Town shorelands along the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound, and their embayments.
Brookhaven Shields Endangered Shoreland Birds
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code § 9-30
No person shall: (1) Disturb, endanger, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, trap, capture or collect any endangered species of bird that may nest or forage on a shoreland. (2) Alter, remove or tamper with any fence, rope, signage or flagging designating a nesting or foraging area of any endangered species of bird. (3) Unless authorized, enter any fenced, roped or flagged area designating ...
Looking for Suffolk County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Brookhaven city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Suffolk County →