Animal Ordinances in Detroit, MI (2026)
17 verified animal ordinances for Detroit, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Detroit's 2024 Animal Husbandry Ordinance, effective February 2025, amended Chapter 6 and Chapter 50 (Zoning) to allow residential keeping of up to eight chickens and ducks (no roosters) on licensed properties. Other traditional livestock such as roosters, pigs, horses, goats, and cows remain prohibited.
Detroit MI Chickens, Ducks & Livestock (Animal Husbandry Ordinance)
Some RestrictionsDog Leash Laws
Detroit Code of Ordinances Chapter 6, Article II requires every dog off its owner's property to be held by a leash or otherwise under restraint. Detroit Animal Care and Control (DACC) enforces leash, licensing, and dangerous-animal provisions citywide.
Detroit MI Dog Leash & Restraint Laws (Code Ch. 6)
Some RestrictionsBreed Restrictions
Detroit does not ban pit bulls or any specific dog breed. The city regulates dogs by behavior under Chapter 6's Dangerous Animals Ordinance (amended October 2021), which classifies and restricts individual animals adjudicated dangerous regardless of breed.
Detroit MI Breed Restrictions: Dangerous Animals Ordinance
Few RestrictionsBeekeeping
Honeybees became legal in Detroit under the 2024 Animal Husbandry Ordinance, effective February 2025. Residential lots may keep up to four hives, urban gardens up to eight, and all hives must sit at least 25 feet from any property line.
Detroit MI Beekeeping Rules (Animal Husbandry Ordinance)
Some RestrictionsExotic Pets
Detroit City Code Chapter 6 (Animals) and Michigan Public Act 274 of 2000 (Large Carnivore Act) prohibit keeping big cats, bears, wolves, and primates. Venomous reptiles and large constricting snakes also banned.
Animals: Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsWildlife Feeding
Detroit prohibits feeding of deer and waterfowl under Chapter 6. Michigan DNR also bans baiting and feeding of deer in Zone 3 (Lower Peninsula) under CWD regulations.
Animals: Wildlife Feeding
Some RestrictionsLivestock
Detroit Urban Agriculture Ordinance (Chapter 61, 2013) allows urban farming but prohibits keeping of most livestock in residential zones. Chickens (hens) allowed on approved urban agriculture parcels only.
Animals: Livestock
Heavy RestrictionsAnimal Hoarding
Detroit Code Chapter 6 caps household pets at four dogs without a kennel license and prohibits animal hoarding, cruelty, or neglect under both city and Michigan animal-welfare statutes.
Detroit Animal Hoarding & Cruelty Limits
Heavy RestrictionsPet Limits
Detroit Code Chapter 6 limits residences to four dogs over four months old without a multiple-animal kennel license; cats are not numerically capped but must not create a nuisance under city code.
Detroit Four-Dog Household Limit
Some RestrictionsCat Rules
Detroit does not require cat licenses but mandates rabies vaccination under Michigan law, prohibits abandonment, and authorizes Animal Care and Control to impound stray or aggressive cats running at large.
Detroit Cat Licensing & Outdoor Cat Rules
Few RestrictionsMandatory Spay/Neuter
Detroit does not require all owned pets to be sterilized, but Chapter 6 conditions reclaim of impounded dogs and cats on spay-neuter and authorizes higher fees for unaltered animals at large.
Detroit Mandatory Sterilization for Reclaimed Strays
Some RestrictionsMicrochipping
Detroit does not mandate microchipping for owned pets, but Animal Care and Control microchips every shelter adoption and uses scanners on every impound to expedite owner reunification.
Detroit Microchipping Recommended Not Required
Few RestrictionsCoyote Management
Detroit follows Michigan DNR guidance on urban coyotes, prohibiting feeding under nuisance rules and recommending hazing rather than relocation, with lethal removal allowed only by licensed agents.
Detroit Coyote Sightings & Hazing Guidance
Some RestrictionsPet Store Rules
Detroit ordinance requires pet stores selling dogs, cats, or rabbits to source only from shelters, rescues, or municipal animal-control agencies, banning commercial puppy-mill and large-breeder supply chains.
Detroit Pet Stores Rescue-Sourced Animal Mandate
Heavy RestrictionsVeterinary Clinic Zoning
Detroit Zoning Ordinance permits veterinary clinics in business and limited light-industrial districts subject to soundproofing, waste-handling, and on-site overnight-boarding limits to protect adjacent residential uses.
Detroit Veterinary Clinic Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsBird Protection
Detroit defers to federal and Michigan migratory bird protections, prohibits removal of active nests of protected species, and treats pigeons and starlings as nuisance birds subject to humane abatement.
Detroit Migratory Bird & Nuisance Bird Rules
Some RestrictionsWildlife Rescue Permits
Rehabilitating injured wildlife in Detroit requires a Michigan DNR rehabilitation permit, and additional federal authorization for migratory birds; private possession without a permit is prohibited.
Detroit Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit Rules
Heavy RestrictionsLooking for Wayne County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Detroit city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Wayne County →