Animal Ordinances in New Britain, CT (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for New Britain, Connecticut, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
New Britain flatly bans keeping swine or maintaining a pigpen anywhere in the city under Sec. 6-3, and separately makes it unlawful to keep any animal in a manner detrimental to health or that creates a nuisance under Sec. 6-2. The Animal Code has no dedicated backyard-chicken ordinance; poultry keeping falls under that general nuisance standard.
New Britain Ban on Keeping Swine
Heavy RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances §§ 6-2, 6-3
No person shall keep any animal in any place or in any manner which is detrimental to human or animal health or that may constitute a health hazard to the animal or jeopardizes the safety of the animal, or which will create a nuisance. ... No person shall keep swine or make or maintain any pigpen.
Dog Leash Laws
New Britain bans dogs from streets, parks, and other public or unenclosed private places unless securely leashed in a responsible person's hands or confined in a ventilated vehicle, under Sec. 6-18(a). A dog caught roaming draws a $50.00 fine if it is spayed or neutered, or $199.00 if it is not altered or not vaccinated.
New Britain Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances § 6-18
(a)No person owning or keeping a dog, shall allow such dog to be in or upon any street, park or other public place, or in or upon any unenclosed lot or other private premises, unless such dog is attached to a secure leash held continuously in the hands of a responsible person capable of controlling it ... or unless such dog is securely confined within a motor vehicle which is adequately ventila...
Breed Restrictions
New Britain does not ban dogs by breed, but section 6-27 lets the animal control officer declare any individual dog vicious or dangerous based on unprovoked bites or high-risk behavior such as snarling and lunging, then impose registration, microchipping, warning signs, muzzling and confinement rules on that dog and its owner.
New Britain Vicious Dog Declarations, Not Breed Bans
Significant RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances § 6-27
Dangerous and vicious dogs are defined as dogs that have attacked, bitten, or injured human beings without provocation, or dogs that present an unacceptably high risk of serious injury, even before causing harm. ... Once a dog has been declared as vicious, the animal control officer shall place one (1) or more of the following restrictions on the dog and its owner:(1)The dog will have to be reg...
Beekeeping
New Britain treats residential beekeeping as a permitted accessory use under zoning section 6-37, letting owners keep between two and ten honeybee colonies depending on lot size, provided the hives sit at least twenty-five to fifty feet from property lines behind a six-foot flyway barrier and the honey is never sold commercially.
New Britain Residential Honeybee Colony Rules
Some RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances § 6-37
The keeping of one (1) or more colonies of the common domestic honeybee, Apis mellifera, shall be a permitted accessory use. ... Maximum number of colonies on a property shall be as follows:1.One-quarter (¼) acre or less—two (2) colonies including up to two (2) nuclei. ... b.Colonies shall be located away from road, walkways, or rights-of-way as follows:1.Four (4) colonies or less—minimum of tw...
Wildlife Feeding
New Britain outright bans feeding geese, ducks or any other waterfowl on public property or in a city park. Only a wildlife rehabilitator trying to catch a sick or injured animal may offer food. The Parks and Recreation Department and city police enforce the ban, and Code § 17-40(d) sets a $100 fine for each offense, with no permit path around it.
New Britain Bans Feeding Waterfowl in City Parks
Heavy RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances § 17-40(d)
(d)Feeding of geese, ducks and all waterfowl is prohibited. No individual except a wildlife rehabilitator trying to catch a sick or injured animal may feed, or provide or give any food or other edible items to geese, ducks or any other waterfowl on any public property or park in the city limits. The penalty for violation of this section shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each offense.
Cat Rules
New Britain requires any cat allowed to roam outdoors to be vaccinated for rabies and feline distemper, spayed or neutered, and wearing owner-identification (Sec. 6-9), while unidentified feral cats that are trapped or impounded may be transferred to partnering animal welfare organizations for adoption based on their demeanor and health (Sec. 6-6).
New Britain Cat Roaming and Feral Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances §§ 6-6, 6-9
Feral cats without acceptable identification which have been impounded or trapped may be transferred to partnering animal welfare organizations for adoption based on the cats' demeanor and health. ... No cat owner or keeper shall allow their cat to roam freely outdoors unless the following criteria have been met:(1)The cat must be fully vaccinated for rabies and feline distemper.(2)The cat must...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Every domesticated cat in New Britain must be spayed or neutered by six months old unless the owner holds a City-approved breeder's permit, under Sec. 6-8(a). Keepers of feral cat colonies carry the same duty for colony cats, arranged through animal welfare organizations since the city will not directly fund it, under Sec. 6-10(a)(2).
New Britain Mandatory Cat Spay/Neuter Rule
Heavy RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances §§ 6-8, 6-10
All domesticated cats shall be spayed/neutered by age six (6) months unless a breeders permit has been obtained and approved by the City of New Britain Animal Control. ... The keeper will be responsible for having cats within the colony spayed/neutered and vaccinated for rabies. Assistance in this process may be sought through animal welfare organizations. The City of New Britain will not be a ...
Microchipping
New Britain requires every dog identified on a breeder's permit to be micro-chipped before the police department's animal control division approves breeding, and every puppy from a permitted litter must also be micro-chipped. The rule is tied to the city's one hundred dollar breeding permit and twenty-five dollar litter permit system under Chapter 6.
New Britain Microchip Rules for Breeder Dogs, Litters
Some RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances §§ 6-23, 6-25
The dog identified in the breeder's permit that will be used for breeding must be micro-chipped. ... All puppies from each litter shall be micro-chipped.
Bird Protection
New Britain bars anyone from hunting, molesting, harming, trapping or killing any bird within a city park, and from taking eggs, nests or young birds. Poisoning a bird with any noxious substance is a separate violation under § 17-40(b). The Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners and city police enforce the article, which also forbids fishing and weapon use in the same parks.
New Britain Protects Park Birds From Hunting and Poisoning
Heavy RestrictionsNew Britain Code of Ordinances § 17-40(a), (b)
(a)Hunting, molesting etc. No person shall hunt, molest, harm, frighten, kill, trap, chase, tease, shoot, or throw missiles in any park at any animal, reptile, or bird; nor shall he remove, collect, or have in his possession the young of any animal, or the eggs or nest or young of any reptile or bird; nor shall any person fish in any park.(b)Poisoning. No person shall give or offer, or attempt ...