Animal Ordinances in Norwalk, CT (2026)
3 verified animal ordinances for Norwalk, Connecticut, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Norwalk allows backyard chickens and other fowl or livestock on residential property, but caps flocks at 12 chickens, bans roosters over four months old, and requires every coop, pen, or stable to sit at least 50 feet from the property line and 25 feet from any dwelling. Enclosures must also meet the Zoning Regulations' accessory-structure setbacks and stay clean and odor- and pest-controlled.
Norwalk Backyard Chicken and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsNorwalk Code § 15-5
§ 15-5. Keeping of livestock and fowl on residential property. A. No person shall keep any live poultry, goats, cattle or other livestock in any stable, pen, structure and enclosure which is less than 50 feet from any property boundary, or less than 25 feet from any dwelling within the City of Norwalk. ... D. All livestock and fowl must be kept in stables, pens, structures and enclosures, and n...
Breed Restrictions
Norwalk does not ban any dog breed by name; instead its Vicious Dog ordinance lets the Board of Police Commissioners declare an individual dog "vicious" after a hearing if it bites or attacks unprovoked, or is bred, owned, or trained for dog fighting. A declared vicious dog faces destruction after a 14-day appeal period unless the owner meets a strict list of licensing, insurance, and confinement conditions.
Norwalk Vicious Dog Declaration Rules
Heavy RestrictionsNorwalk Code § 15-13; § 15-14
VICIOUS DOG A dog which has been declared vicious by the Board of Police Commissioners, or its designee, in accordance with § 15-14. ... B. The Board of Police Commissioners or its designee may declare a dog to be vicious if any one of the following criteria is met. Any dog: (1) Which bites, inflicts injury, assaults or otherwise attacks a human being or domestic animal without provocation on p...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Norwalk does not require every pet to be fixed, but any dog the Board of Police Commissioners declares "vicious" under Chapter 15 must be spayed or neutered as a condition of staying in its owner's custody instead of being destroyed. The owner pays the veterinary cost and must hand the Dog Warden a vet's certificate proving the procedure was done.
Norwalk Vicious Dog Spay/Neuter Mandate
Significant RestrictionsNorwalk Code § 15-15B(5)
(5) The owner or keeper of a vicious dog shall provide a certificate to the Dog Warden from a licensed veterinarian that the animal has been spayed or neutered, and the owner or keeper of said vicious dog shall be responsible for the cost of such spaying or neutering.