Animal Ordinances in Marion, OH (2026)
7 verified animal ordinances for Marion, Ohio, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In the City of Marion, Ohio, § 618.12 keeps animal enclosures 100 feet from residences and workplaces, prohibits cows, horses, goats, sheep, swine and roosters outside Agricultural Zoned parcels and the County Fairgrounds, and requires a Safety Director permit for fowl and rabbits. Violations are fourth-degree misdemeanors.
Chickens and Livestock Rules in Marion, Ohio
Significant RestrictionsMarion Codified Ordinances § 618.12(B), (C), (D), (E)
(B) The owner, keeper or harborer of any animal (excepting dogs & cats) shall not install, keep, maintain, use, have or possess any pen, kennel, coop, cage, hutch, or other enclosure, within one hundred (100) feet from any building used as a residence or commercial use wherein persons are employed. (C) The following animals shall be prohibited, other than on an Agricultural Zoned parcels or the...
Dog Leash Laws
In the City of Marion, Ohio, § 618.16(B) requires every dog owner, keeper or harborer to keep the dog confined or restrained on the premises by a leash, tether, adequate fence, supervision or secure enclosure, or else under the reasonable control of some person. A female dog in heat leaves the premises only on a leash. Violations are fourth-degree misdemeanors.
Dog Leash and Restraint Rules in Marion, Ohio
Some RestrictionsMarion Codified Ordinances § 618.16(A), (B), (M)
(A) No owner, keeper, or harborer of any female dog shall permit it to go beyond the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer at any time the dog is in heat unless the dog is properly in leash. (B) Except when a dog is lawfully engaged in hunting and accompanied by the owner, keeper, harborer, or handler of the dog, no owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog shall fail at any time to do either ...
Breed Restrictions
In the City of Marion, Ohio, § 618.16(J)(4)(a)(iii) defines a vicious dog to include a dog that belongs to a breed commonly known as a pit bull dog, and owning one is prima-facie evidence of owning a vicious dog. Owners must carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance, and violations are first-degree misdemeanors.
Pit Bull and Vicious Dog Rules in Marion, Ohio
Heavy RestrictionsMarion Codified Ordinances § 618.16(D), (J)(4), (M)
(D) No owner, keeper, or harborer of a vicious dog shall fail to obtain liability insurance with an insurer authorized to write liability insurance in this state providing coverage in each occurrence, subject to a limit, exclusive of interest and costs, of not less than one hundred thousand dollars because of damage or bodily injury to or death of a person caused by the vicious dog. ... (4) (a)...
Beekeeping
In the City of Marion, Ohio, § 618.15 bars keeping bees within 2,000 feet of any building used as a residence or for industrial or commercial use where persons are employed. Keeping bees in violation is declared a nuisance and is a minor misdemeanor, with a separate offense for each day.
Beekeeping Distance Rule in Marion, Ohio
Significant RestrictionsMarion Codified Ordinances § 618.15
(A) No person shall keep any bees in or within any premises in the municipality within 2,000 feet of any building used as a residence or for industrial or commercial use wherein persons are employed. (B) Nothing in this section shall be deemed or construed to prohibit the keeping of bees in a hive or box located or kept within a schoolhouse for the purpose of study or observation. (C) Keeping o...
Exotic Pets
In the City of Marion, Ohio, § 618.18 bars keeping any dangerous or carnivorous wild animal or reptile, and irrebuttably treats a printed list as dangerous: bears, big cats, wolves, venomous snakes, constrictors over six feet, alligators of 24 inches or more and more. The Director of Public Service/Safety can grant exemptions. Violations are misdemeanors.
Exotic and Dangerous Animal Ban in Marion, Ohio
Heavy RestrictionsMarion Codified Ordinances § 618.18(A), (C), (G)
(A) No person shall knowingly keep, maintain or have in his possession or under his control within the City any dangerous or carnivorous wild animal or reptile, or any other animal or reptile of wild, vicious or dangerous propensities (not including canines and domesticated cats), except to the extent that an exemption may be applicable pursuant to subsections (D) or (E) hereof. ... (C) For pur...
Cat Rules
Chapter 618 of the Marion Codified Ordinances registers only dogs (§ 618.08), so the City of Marion, Ohio has no cat license. Cats are covered by the bite rule in § 618.11: a bite is reported to the Health Commissioner within 24 hours, and the cat is quarantined for not less than ten days and cannot be released without a rabies vaccination.
Cat Bite and Quarantine Rules in Marion, Ohio
Some RestrictionsMarion Codified Ordinances § 618.11
(B) When it is reported to the Health Commissioner that any dog or cat has bitten a person, that dog or cat shall be quarantined, under an order issued by the Health Commissioner. The dog or cat shall be quarantined under the care of its owner, other person responsible, or at a pound or kennel. ... The quarantine ... period hereby required shall not be less than ten (10) days from the date on w...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
In the City of Marion, Ohio, § 1143.015(B)(2) allows veterinary clinics only as a conditional principal use in the C-5 General Business District, approved by the Board of Appeals under § 1171.02. Clinics are restricted to dogs, cats or other small household pets, no boarding on the premises, and all structures at least 100 feet from any residential structure.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Marion, Ohio
Significant RestrictionsMarion Codified Ordinances § 1143.015(B)(2)
(B) Conditional principal permitted uses. The following shall be permitted as principal uses only when approved by the Board of Appeals, as provided for in § 1171.02: (1) Public utility substations, subject to the provisions of § 1163.04. (2) Veterinary clinics, restricted to dogs, cats or other small household pets, without the boarding of said animals on the premises. All structures to be loc...