Animal Ordinances in Novi, MI (2026)
5 verified animal ordinances for Novi, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
The City of Novi lets residents keep chickens and other non-household-pet animals as an accessory use, but Code Section 5-12 requires a covered, fenced enclosure set back one hundred feet from any neighboring dwelling and fifteen feet from the property line. Roosters are banned outright, and only female birds are allowed outside recognized livestock and pets.
Backyard Chickens and Livestock Rules in Novi
Significant RestrictionsNovi City Code § 5-12
Sec. 5-12. - Keeping of animals as accessory use. Any animal, other than a household pet, that is permitted to be kept as accessory to a principal use of a property shall be housed in accessory buildings meeting the requirements of the zoning ordinance. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, including the zoning ordinance, such accessory structure shall be permitted, provided that is...
Dog Leash Laws
In the City of Novi, a dog may not be on a public street, in a park, in a public building, or anywhere the public is generally invited unless it is restrained by its owner or another responsible person and has been immunized against rabies, per City Code Section 5-4. Section 5-5's separate at-large ban also forbids letting any animal, dogs included, roam off its owner's property.
Dog Leash and Restraint Law in Novi
Some RestrictionsNovi City Code § 5-4
Sec. 5-4. - Dogs in public; restraint; immunization required. No dog shall be permitted at any time to be on a public highway or street, or in a public park, public building, or any other public place, or in any place to which the public is generally invited: (a)Except when restrained by the owner thereof or another responsible person, or when confined in a shipping receptacle or vehicle, or wh...
Breed Restrictions
Novi has no breed-specific dog ban; instead, City Code Section 5-2 defines a "dangerous or vicious dog" by behavior, unprovoked attacks, bites, or menacing conduct, and Section 5-17 requires that dog's owner to report a biting incident to police within twelve hours and, absent a court's relief, humanely destroy the dog within forty-eight hours.
Dangerous Dog Declaration Law in Novi
Heavy RestrictionsNovi City Code §§ 5-2, 5-17
Dangerous or vicious dog shall mean any dog that is exposed to rabies, or any dog that is capable of inflicting death or serious injury on a person or domesticated animal and that: (a)Has, without provocation, attacked or bitten a person engaged in lawful activities;(b)Has left the property of its owner and, without provocation, killed or seriously injured another animal; ... ... Sec. 5-17. - P...
Exotic Pets
The City of Novi bans owning or keeping a "dangerous animal" in the city, a term City Code Section 5-2 defines to include any wild mammal, reptile, or fowl not naturally tame, plus any domestic animal that could endanger life or property by size or vicious propensity. Section 5-16 carves out narrow exceptions for law enforcement, guard, exhibition, veterinary, and for-sale animals.
Exotic and Wild Animal Ban in Novi
Heavy RestrictionsNovi City Code §§ 5-2, 5-15, 5-16
Dangerous animal means any wild mammal, reptile, or fowl that is not naturally tame or gentle but is of a wild nature or disposition and that, because of its size, vicious nature, or other characteristics, could constitute a danger to human life or property. The term "dangerous animal" also means and includes any domestic mammal, reptile, or fowl that, because of its size or vicious propensity ...
Cat Rules
Novi's Code of Ordinances does not create a separate cat-licensing or feral-colony program. Chapter 5's definitions make "animal" mean "any vertebrate other than human beings," so the citywide at-large ban in Section 5-5, barring an owner from letting an animal roam free or trespass onto another's property, is the rule that governs cats.
Cat Licensing and At-Large Rules in Novi
Light RestrictionsNovi City Code §§ 5-2, 5-5
Animal shall mean any vertebrate other than human beings. At large shall mean any animal that is off the property of its owner and not under the physical control of a competent person. ... ... Sec. 5-5. - Running at large. It shall be unlawful for any owner of an animal to allow or permit the animal to run at large, or to enter onto the private property of another without the express permission...
Looking for Oakland County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Novi city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Oakland County →