Animal Ordinances in Medford, OR (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Medford, Oregon, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Medford allows personal-use poultry, chickens, ducks, geese and swans, on residential property under Code Section 5.555, but bans roosters outright, requires enclosures at least four feet from property lines, and bars pens in the front yard setback. Ostriches, emus, peacocks, and turkeys are prohibited entirely.
Medford: Backyard Poultry Rules Ban Roosters
Some RestrictionsMedford Municipal Code § 5.555
5.555 Keeping of Poultry. (1)(a) Any keeping of poultry shall be for personal use, and any related commercial activity is prohibited. (b) Roosters are prohibited. (c) All allowed poultry must be confined to the property at all times, and no enclosure or structure associated with the poultry shall be located within four feet of the property lines of any abutting parcel. (d) No enclosure, compoun...
Dog Leash Laws
Medford bans letting a dog "run at large", off leash in a public place, under Code Section 5.602, except in areas the city specifically designates as dog parks. Owners also can't let dogs defecate without cleanup, chase vehicles or people, scatter garbage, or injure others; fines run up to $440.
Medford: Dogs Must Not Run at Large, Except Dog Parks
Some RestrictionsMedford Municipal Code §§ 5.601, 5.602
5.601 Definitions. (5) “Run at large” means a dog off leash in a public place. 5.602 Control of Dogs. (1) No person who owns or keeps a dog shall permit the dog to: (a) Defecate in a public place, unless the person immediately removes the feces from the property; (b) Chase vehicles or persons; (c) Scatter garbage; (d) Run at large in a public place, except for any park area specifically design...
Breed Restrictions
Medford has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead, Code Section 5.601 defines a "dangerous dog" by its conduct, an unprovoked attack in public causing injury, and Section 5.603 makes it a crime for an owner to let a dangerous dog hurt someone, with penalties up to $1,000 and a year in jail.
Medford: Dangerous Dog Rules Based on Conduct, Not Breed
Significant RestrictionsMedford Municipal Code §§ 5.601, 5.603
5.601 Definitions. (2) “Dangerous dog” means a dog that engages in an unprovoked attack in a public place that causes either physical injury to another person or animal. 5.603 Failure to Control Dangerous Dog. (1) A person commits the crime of failure to control dangerous dog if the person: (a) Intentionally or recklessly permits a dangerous dog to inflict physical injury on another person or ...
Beekeeping
Medford allows beekeeping in single-family residential, commercial, industrial, and public parks districts, but every beekeeper must register hives with the Planning Department and follow strict hive-count, placement, and flyway-barrier rules under Section 10.813(3).
Medford Beekeeping Rules: Registration and Hive Limits
Some RestrictionsMedford Code § 10.813(3)
Beekeeping. The City recognizes the many benefits of bees including pollination services and useable products such as honey and wax. The keeping of bees is permitted in the single-family residential districts, the commercial, industrial, and the public parks districts in the city limits subject to the following standards: (a) Registration with the Medford Planning Department is required in orde...
Wildlife Feeding
Medford bans feeding deer, raccoon, wild turkey, bear, cougar, coyote, and wolf anywhere in the city, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately. The City Council adopted the ban in 2016 to cut injury risk to people and pets and damage to landscaping and property.
Medford Ban on Feeding Wildlife
Heavy RestrictionsMedford Code § 5.608
5.608 Prohibition Against Feeding Wildlife. (1) No person may feed wildlife within the City of Medford. (2) Violation of this section constitutes a violation. Every day in which the violation exists constitutes a separate violation. [Added Sec. 3, Ord. No. 2016-85, Jul. 21, 2016.]
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Medford does not require every dog to be sterilized, but once a court convicts an owner of failing to control a dangerous dog, Medford City Code 5.603(3)(c) lets the judge order that dog spayed or neutered, with proof filed with the court.
Medford Court-Ordered Spay/Neuter for Dangerous Dogs
Some RestrictionsMedford Code § 5.603(3)(c)
In addition or in alternative to the penalties prescribed in section 5.603(2), the Court may impose one or more of the following conditions deemed necessary to protect the public health, safety and welfare: (a) Order a person to provide an enclosure to adequately confine a dangerous dog; (b) Order a person to post their property with a clearly visible warning sign that there is a dangerous dog ...
Coyote Management
Medford bans feeding coyotes citywide under Section 5.608, which the code folds into a broader wildlife-feeding prohibition covering bear, cougar, coyote, wolf, deer, raccoon and wild turkey, with every day of feeding a separate violation.
Medford's Coyote Feeding Ban
Some RestrictionsMedford Code §§ 5.607-5.608
5.608 Prohibition Against Feeding Wildlife. (1) No person may feed wildlife within the City of Medford. (2) Violation of this section constitutes a violation. Every day in which the violation exists constitutes a separate violation. 5.607 Definitions. (2) "Potentially habituated wildlife" means bear, cougar, coyote, and wolf.
Pet Groomer Rules
Medford allows dog grooming businesses by right in every commercial zone, from neighborhood C-N to heavy commercial C-H, under Municipal Code Section 10.337. The use is flatly prohibited in all three industrial zones (I-L, I-G, I-H), so a groomer cannot set up in a light-, general-, or heavy-industrial park.
Dog Grooming Zoning Rules in Medford, OR
Some RestrictionsMedford Municipal Code § 10.337
(3) All uses have been identified by zoning district as either permitted, permitted subject to special use standards, conditional, or not permitted. “P” = Permitted Uses. ... “X” = Uses specifically prohibited. ... | 075 | Animal Services, Except Veterinary | X | X | X | X | Ps/C | Ps/C | Ps/C | Ps/C | | | Dog Grooming | P | P | P | P | P | X | X | X | (2) COMMERCIAL. C-S/P Commercial, Serv...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Medford Code Section 10.814 keeps veterinary clinics and animal hospitals at least 100 feet from residential lots unless every activity happens fully inside an enclosed building, and bars any on-site incineration of refuse.
Medford Veterinary Clinic Residential Setback Rule
Some RestrictionsMedford Code § 10.814
10.814 Animal Hospitals and Veterinary Clinics. A veterinary clinic or animal hospital shall not be located within 100 feet of a lot in any residential district unless all activities are fully enclosed within a building. If all activities are not fully enclosed within a building, the 100-foot setback shall apply and the applicant shall show that adequate measures and controls shall be taken to ...