Animal Ordinances in Murfreesboro, TN (2026)
4 verified animal ordinances for Murfreesboro, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Murfreesboro lets residents keep chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys if they're confined and don't trespass, but roosters are banned within City limits unless penned at least 2,000 feet from the nearest residence.
Murfreesboro Backyard Chicken and Rooster Rules
Significant RestrictionsMurfreesboro City Code § 5-1
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, house, or maintain a rooster within the City limits. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a citizen may own, house, or maintain a rooster within the City limits when the rooster is penned or housed a minimum of 2,000 feet from the nearest residence, measured by the most direct route from the pen or building where the rooster is located to the nearest reside...
Dog Leash Laws
Murfreesboro dogs can't run at large or trespass: owners must keep them enclosed or confined, though a dog on a public street is legal if held on a leash strong enough to prevent escape.
Murfreesboro Dog Leash and Restraint Law
Some RestrictionsMurfreesboro City Code § 5-24
It shall be unlawful for persons to negligently, willfully, or knowingly permit any dog under their control to run at large in the City or to trespass upon the property of another in the City, whether or not such property is enclosed, or to fail to keep the same enclosed or confined as to prevent the same from so running at large or trespassing upon the property of another; provided, however, t...
Cat Rules
Murfreesboro requires every cat over three months old to be rabies-vaccinated, and owners must pay a $2 annual fee to the Rutherford County Trustee by May 1 for a tag.
Murfreesboro Cat Rabies and License Rule
Some RestrictionsMurfreesboro City Code § 5-25
(A)Any person who owns, keeps or harbors a dog or cat within the City shall have such dog or cat properly inoculated or immunized against rabies... provided that, dogs and cats need not be inoculated before reaching the age of three months. (B)All persons owning, keeping or harboring... any dog or cat over three months of age, shall pay on or before May 1st of each year... to the County Trustee...
Bird Protection
Murfreesboro designates its entire corporate area a bird sanctuary: trapping, shooting, hunting, or molesting birds or robbing nests is unlawful everywhere in the City, except for Starlings the City formally declares a nuisance.
Murfreesboro Citywide Bird Sanctuary
Heavy RestrictionsMurfreesboro City Code § 5-21
The entire area embraced within the corporate limits of the City, as presently constituted or as may be charged in the future by annexation or otherwise, is hereby designated as a bird sanctuary. It shall be unlawful to trap, shoot, hunt, or attempt to shoot or molest in any manner any birds, or wild fowl or to rob bird nests or wild fowl nests; provided, however, that the City may declare t...
Looking for Rutherford County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Murfreesboro city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Rutherford County →