Animal Ordinances in Lakeville, MN (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Lakeville, Minnesota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In the City of Lakeville, Minnesota, keeping backyard chickens requires an administrative permit under City Code chapter 8 and section 11-35-3.C. Ordinance 1126, adopted August 3, 2026, raised the cap to six chickens per property, banned roosters, and requires the birds be kept in a coop with an outdoor exercise area at all times.
Backyard Chicken Rules in Lakeville, Minnesota
Some RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 11-35-3.C, as amended by Ord. 1126 (8-3-2026)
b. Chickens: (1) The maximum number of chickens allowed to be kept on a property shall be (6) chickens. (2) The keeping of roosters is prohibited. (3) Chickens shall be kept within a coop and outdoor exercise area at all times. ... The keeping of chickens (defined as fowl of the genus Gallus and species Gallus domesticus) may be allowed upon a property developed with a single-family dwelling wi...
Dog Leash Laws
In the City of Lakeville, Minnesota, no owner may let a dog run at large; on any city park, street, trail or sidewalk a dog must be on a leash no longer than twenty five feet. If a pedestrian comes within one hundred feet, the handler must recall the dog and hold it under close control until the pedestrian is a hundred feet away. The Lakeville Police Department, the city's animal control authority, enforces the leash law citywide.
Lakeville, Minnesota Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 5-1-9(A)
A. Restraint Of Dogs: 1. No person shall permit their dog, or a dog under their care to be at large within the City. 2. No person shall permit their dog, or a dog under their care to be in a City park or on a City street, trail, or sidewalk unless controlled by a leash not exceeding twenty five feet (25') in length,. When a pedestrian approaches within one hundred feet (100'), the dog must be i...
Breed Restrictions
Lakeville has no breed-specific ban; instead, City Code section 5-1-9(B) lets a police officer or animal control officer designate any dog as potentially dangerous or dangerous based on its documented behavior, such as unprovoked bites or attacks. A dangerous dog owner must register the dog annually, sterilize it, post a warning sign, keep a three hundred thousand dollar insurance bond, and confine it in a proper enclosure or muzzle it outside one.
Lakeville, Minnesota Dangerous Dog Designation Rules
Significant RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 5-1-9(B)(1)(a); § 5-1-9(B)(2)(a)
B. Dangerous And Potentially Dangerous Dogs: 1. Regulations Regarding Potentially Dangerous Dogs: a. Determination Of Potentially Dangerous Dog: A City animal control officer or other law enforcement official shall determine that a dog is a potentially dangerous dog if the officer believes, based upon the officer’s professional judgment, that a dog: (1) When unprovoked, inflicts bites on a huma...
Beekeeping
In the City of Lakeville, Minnesota, honey bees and apiaries were newly authorized by Ordinance 1126, adopted August 3, 2026, adding section 11-35-3.D to the Zoning Ordinance. Beekeeping is allowed only as an accessory use to a single-family dwelling, requires an administrative permit, and limits colony counts by lot size, from two colonies on lots under 25,000 square feet up to eight on five acres or more.
Beekeeping and Apiary Rules in Lakeville, Minnesota
Some RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 11-35-3.D, added by Ord. 1126 (8-3-2026)
D. Honey bees and apiaries accessory to a single family dwelling within agriculture/rural or residential districts, provided that: 1. Administrative Permit Required: a. The keeping of honey bees and apiaries may be allowed upon a property developed with a single-family dwelling within a residential zoning district subject to approval of an administrative permit in accordance with chapter 8 of t...
Exotic Pets
City Code section 5-1-19 bars anyone in the City of Lakeville, Minnesota from keeping wild cats, wild canines, wolf-dog hybrids, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, venomous or constricting reptiles, and other inherently dangerous animals like bears or non-human primates as pets. The only exceptions are an interim use permit approved before May 15, 2017 or a state-licensed zoo program lasting no more than thirty days.
Lakeville, Minnesota Prohibited Wild Animals Law
Heavy RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 5-1-19
No person shall possess or keep the following animals within the City, except pursuant to an interim use permit approved prior to May 15, 2017 in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance or in association with a zoo program licensed by the State of Minnesota for a period not longer than thirty (30) days: A. Any member of the cat family (felidae) including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, cougars...
Microchipping
Lakeville, Minnesota has no general pet microchip mandate; the requirement applies only after a dog is declared potentially dangerous or dangerous under City Code section 5-1-9(B). A potentially dangerous dog's owner must have it microchipped within thirty days of notice, and a dangerous dog's owner within fourteen days of the determination, reporting the microchip maker and serial number to the city's animal control authority both times.
Lakeville, Minnesota Dangerous Dog Microchip Rule
Some RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 5-1-9(B)(1)(e)(1); § 5-1-9(B)(2)(g)(3)
e. Potentially Dangerous Dog Requirements: It shall be the joint and several responsibility of each owner of any dog kept or harbored within the city and determined to be potentially dangerous under this subsection or under the provisions of a substantially similar local or state law to: (1) Have a microchip implanted in the dog for identification and provide the city animal control authority w...
Pet Store Rules
In the City of Lakeville, Minnesota, pet shops selling live dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, reptiles, or fish are allowed only as a conditional use in certain commercial districts, and animals sold must come from a licensed animal broker; the city does not require adoption-only sales, but bans commercial boarding and restricts breeding.
Lakeville Pet Shop Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsLakeville City Code SS 11-2-3, 11-65-7.N
PET SHOP: A place kept or maintained for the exhibition for sale, or sale or purchase of live dogs, cats, rabbits or other small animals, or any birds, reptiles or fish. Pet shops may include incidental animal grooming and adoption activities, but not animal hospitals, veterinary clinics, or places selling live bait for fishing. ... M. Pet shops which may include pet grooming, pet supplies, and...
Pet Groomer Rules
In the City of Lakeville, Minnesota, pet grooming is regulated as part of a pet shop conditional use permit in commercial zoning districts: City Code section 11-65-7.N requires soundproofed indoor animal areas, daily waste disposal, nonporous grooming-room floors and walls, and compliance with Minnesota's commercial animal-care statutes before the city will approve the use.
Pet Grooming Rules for Lakeville Pet Shops
Significant RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 11-65-7.N
N. Pet shops which may include pet grooming, pet supplies, and/or pet accessories, provided that: 1. All areas in which animals are confined are located indoors and are properly soundproofed from adjacent properties or tenants in the case of multiple occupancy buildings. 2. Animal wastes are disposed of at least once each day via an existing sanitary sewer system or enclosed in a container of s...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
In the City of Lakeville, Minnesota, veterinary clinics are a conditional use in commercial and mixed-use zoning districts: City Code section 11-65-7.R requires soundproofed indoor animal areas, sanitary carcass disposal, and caps any accessory boarding kennel at twenty animals with strict ventilation, temperature and sewer rules before the city issues a permit.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules in Lakeville
Significant RestrictionsLakeville City Code § 11-65-7.R
R. Veterinary clinics provided that: 1. All areas in which animals are confined are located indoors and are properly soundproofed from adjacent properties. 2. Animal carcasses are properly disposed of in a manner not utilizing on site garbage facilities or incineration and the carcasses are properly refrigerated during periods prior to disposal. 3. An animal kennel is permitted as a use accesso...