Animal Ordinances in New Bedford, MA (2026)
6 verified animal ordinances for New Bedford, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
New Bedford caps backyard poultry and animals at one head per 1,000 square feet of net lot area under the zoning ordinance, bars hoofed farm animals outright, and separately makes it unlawful to let fowl or livestock graze or wander into any street, sidewalk or public place.
New Bedford Backyard Poultry and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsNew Bedford Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9 (Zoning) §§ 2812-2814
2812. Agricultural production may be conducted outdoors, in a greenhouse, as an adaptive reuse of existing buildings, in containers such as vertical farming, in water enclosures, and on the roof of a structure for individual household use. When agricultural production for multiple households or commercial use and not exempt, as stated below, a special permit is required from the Planning Board....
Dog Leash Laws
New Bedford bars dogs from any street or public place unless restrained on a chain or leash no longer than seven feet, and separately makes it unlawful to let a dog run at large or wander onto someone else's property without permission.
New Bedford Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsNew Bedford Code of Ordinances § 4-28
No person owning or harboring a dog shall suffer or allow it to run at large in any of the streets or public places in the city or allow it upon the premises of anyone other than the owner or keeper of such dog without the permission of the owner or occupant of such premises. No dog shall be permitted in any street or public place within the city unless it is effectively restrained as above def...
Breed Restrictions
New Bedford has no breed ban; instead an animal control officer can declare any individual dog dangerous or vicious based on its behavior, triggering mandatory spay/neuter, microchipping, a secure 12-by-12-foot enclosure, $100,000 insurance, and a $300-per-day fine for noncompliance.
New Bedford Dangerous Dog Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsNew Bedford Code of Ordinances § 4-29
(c)Outdoor confinement. No person shall own, keep or harbor, or allow to be upon any premises occupied by him under his charge or control, any vicious dog; or any dog of a cross, dangerous or ferocious disposition, or a dog that may manifest a disposition to bite, without it being confined to a proper enclosure. ... Said proper enclosure must be a chain link structure or pen of dimensions at le...
Beekeeping
New Bedford restricts residential beehives to Residence A or B zoning districts, requires a 15-foot buffer of unbuilt land around every hive, and mandates a flyway barrier at least six feet tall where the rear yard isn't already fully fenced, backed by a $75 fine per violation.
New Bedford Backyard Beekeeping Requirements
Some RestrictionsNew Bedford Code of Ordinances § 4-5
(b)Requirements. Hives and colonies may only be kept or maintained in the city pursuant to the following:(1)Hives maintained on a residential property may only be located in a property zoned in a Residence A or Residence B district.(2)Hives shall only be maintained in the rear yard of a residential lot and there shall be at least a fifteen (15) foot radius of unbuilt upon land space contained w...
Pet Limits
New Bedford defines any household keeping more than three dogs over three months old as a kennel, and the city won't even issue a kennel license for five or more dogs in a residentially zoned area, effectively capping most residential dog-keeping well below that threshold.
New Bedford Household Dog Limit Before Kennel Rules Apply
Some RestrictionsNew Bedford Code of Ordinances §§ 4-1 (definitions), 4-19 (Regular licensing)
Kennel: Any person engaged in the commercial business of breeding, buying, selling or boarding dogs and also including every pack or collection of more than three (3) dogs three (3) months old or over owned or kept by a person on a single premises irrespective of the purpose for which they are maintained. ... All dogs shall be licensed annually before February 1 in the office of the city clerk....
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
New Bedford has no blanket spay/neuter law, but once the animal control officer formally deems a dog "dangerous or vicious" (Sec. 4-29) or "potentially dangerous" (Sec. 4-29.1), the city orders the owner to have the animal spayed or neutered, along with microchipping, behavior training and rabies vaccination. Owners can avoid the surgery only with a veterinarian's written certification that the dog is medically unfit for alteration.
New Bedford Spay/Neuter Order for Dangerous Dogs
Significant RestrictionsNew Bedford Code of Ordinances §§ 4-29(b)(1), 4-29.1(b)(1)
(b)Duties of animal control when dog is deemed dangerous. When a dog is deemed to be dangerous or vicious, the animal control officer shall order all of the following:1.Spay or neutering, if the animal is not already altered. The animal will be exempt from such an order if a veterinarian certifies in a written statement that the animal is unfit for alterations because of medical conditions. (b...
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