Animal Ordinances in Oak Park, IL (2026)
11 verified animal ordinances for Oak Park, Illinois, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Oak Park bans keeping pigs, swine, sheep, cattle, horses, goats and similar farm animals inside the Village outright. Fowl of any kind, along with rabbits, guinea pigs and gerbils, are capped at two per household, and only one pigeon is allowed.
Oak Park Backyard Livestock And Fowl Limits
Significant RestrictionsOak Park Village Code §§ 5-4-10, 5-4-11(A)
It shall be unlawful to keep any pigs, swine, sheep, cattle, horses, goats or similar animals, or any naturally wild animals, except birds or fish, within the Village, except in zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions, educational institutions, veterinary hospitals, or animal shelters. ... ... A. No person shall keep more than one pigeon, or more than two (2) of the following: rabbits, ...
Dog Leash Laws
Oak Park requires every dog owner to keep their animal under restraint at all times, and bans unleashed dogs from streets, sidewalks and public areas entirely. Leashes cannot exceed eight feet, and a violation that causes severe injury or death can draw a fine up to ten thousand dollars.
Oak Park Dog Restraint And Leash Law
Some RestrictionsOak Park Village Code §§ 5-4-8(A), (D), 5-4-9(A)
A. Each owner shall keep and maintain his animal under restraint; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to any dog being used for rescue or law enforcement purposes performed by a local, state or federal governmental agency. ... It shall be unlawful for an owner to permit a dog, except on a leash controlled by the owner, or any other responsible person authorized by the owner, to...
Breed Restrictions
Oak Park has no breed-specific dog ban; instead the Village Manager can declare any individual dog or animal dangerous after an investigation into a bite, attack or threatening behavior, then order confinement, muzzling, microchipping, sterilization and liability insurance, with a right to an appeal hearing.
Oak Park Dangerous Animal Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsOak Park Village Code §§ 5-1-2, 5-5-5(D)(2)
DANGEROUS ANIMAL: Any animal which meets any one of the following conditions: A. Any animal which bites, inflicts injury on, kills or otherwise attacks a human being or domestic animal without provocation on any public or private property; or B. Any animal which on more than one occasion, without provocation, chases or approaches any person in an apparent attitude of attack, on any public prope...
Beekeeping
Oak Park requires a $75 Village beekeeping permit for any honeybee apiary, caps colonies at two per property, and sets fencing, distance and flyway barrier rules. Permits renew every March 31 and can be revoked for violations.
Oak Park Beekeeping Permit and Hive Rules
Some RestrictionsOak Park Village Code § 20-11-2, § 20-11-5, § 20-11-6, § 20-11-9
20-11-2: BEEKEEPING PERMIT: ... A. Permit Required: Persons wishing to establish a honeybee apiary in the Village of Oak Park shall first obtain a beekeeping permit from the Village. ... Pay a seventy five dollar ($75.00) nonrefundable permit fee for each apiary location. ... 20-11-9: COLONY DENSITIES: Beekeepers shall not keep more than two (2) colonies on any property. ... 20-11-5: HIVE LOCAT...
Exotic Pets
Oak Park bans keeping any naturally wild animal as a pet within Village limits. The only exceptions are institutional: zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions, educational institutions, veterinary hospitals and licensed animal shelters, none of which cover a private residence.
Oak Park Ban On Wild Animals As Pets
Heavy RestrictionsOak Park Village Code §§ 5-1-2, 5-4-10
ANIMAL: Every living creature, domestic or wild, not including human beings. ... It shall be unlawful to keep ... any naturally wild animals, except birds or fish, within the Village, except in zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions, educational institutions, veterinary hospitals, or animal shelters.
Pet Limits
Oak Park caps the animals a household can keep by residence type: up to three dogs in a single-family home, four cats if kept strictly indoors, and a total household ceiling of ten animals, not counting fish, in a single-family residence and five in a multi-family unit.
Oak Park Household Pet Limits Per Residence
Some RestrictionsOak Park Village Code § 5-4-11(B), (C), (D)
B. No person shall keep or permit more than three (3) dogs to be or remain in or about any single-family residence (including townhomes), building or lot, more than two (2) dogs in any dwelling unit of a two (2) or three (3) flat residential building, or more than two (2) dogs in any dwelling unit of a multi-family residential building containing four (4) or more dwelling units within the Villa...
Cat Rules
Cats allowed outdoors in Oak Park must be licensed, and the Village will only issue that license with a veterinarian's certificate confirming the cat has been sterilized. A cat found running at large must be neutered, rabies-inoculated and wearing a current license tag, or it can be impounded.
Oak Park Cat Licensing And At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsOak Park Village Code §§ 5-4-4(A), 5-4-9(B)
Any person owning within the Village limits any dog four (4) months of age or over, or any cat allowed to run at large, four (4) months of age or over, shall obtain a license for each animal within ten (10) days of acquiring such animal or becoming a resident of the Village of Oak Park. ... In addition, a certificate shall be required for each cat to be licensed that such cat has been sterilize...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Any dog or cat adopted out of Oak Park's animal control center must be licensed, rabies vaccinated and spayed or neutered within thirty days. The new owner posts a deposit covering the cost, gets it back on a veterinarian's certification, and the animal is reimpounded if the requirements go unmet.
Oak Park Spay/Neuter Rule For Shelter Adoptions
Some RestrictionsOak Park Village Code § 5-3-6(C)
C. Every animal adopted from an animal control center shall be required to be licensed, inoculated for rabies and spayed or neutered within thirty (30) days. A deposit sufficient to cover the current cost of inoculation, spaying or neutering shall be made with the Village. The deposit shall be returned to the adopting party on receipt of a certification of a licensed veterinarian that the anima...
Microchipping
Oak Park requires every impounded dog or cat to be microchipped before its owner can redeem it from the Village animal control center. The Village bills the cost of implanting the chip, plus any related sterilization charge, directly to the owner at pickup, on top of the standard impoundment and boarding fees already owed.
Oak Park Mandatory Pet Microchipping On Redemption
Some RestrictionsOak Park Village Code § 5-3-5
A. Any impounded dog or cat shall, prior to redemption, have a microchip implanted pursuant to section 10 of the animal control act, 510 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/10, as amended. B. In addition to all other applicable fees, the cost of the sterilization and the implantation of the microchip shall be charged to the owner upon redemption.
Pet Groomer Rules
Oak Park requires anyone who grooms, buys, sells, trains, or deals in household pets to hold both a State of Illinois and a Village of Oak Park license before opening for business. The Village Clerk issues the license only after the Director of Public Health inspects the premises for fitness, and the business must post the certificate where customers can see it.
Oak Park Pet Groomer and Dealer License
Significant RestrictionsOak Park Village Code §§ 5-6-1, 5-6-2
5-6-1: LICENSE REQUIRED: ... No person shall engage in the business of buying, selling, grooming, training or dealing in animals used as household pets or for domestic purposes without first obtaining a State and Village license. ... It shall be the duty of the Director of Public Health and other appropriate inspection personnel of the Village to cause an investigation of the premises named and...
Bird Protection
The Village of Oak Park makes it unlawful to kill, wound, or attempt to kill or wound any squirrel or bird, or to take the eggs or young of any bird, anywhere within village limits. The rule sits in Chapter 5, Animals, right after the dangerous-animal and diseased-animal sections, and carries the code's general penalty for violations, up to $750 per offense.
Oak Park Ban on Harming Birds, Squirrels
Heavy RestrictionsOak Park Village Code §§ 5-5-9, 1-1-5 (General Penalty)
It shall be unlawful for any person to kill or wound or attempt to kill or wound any squirrel or bird or for any person to take the eggs or young of any bird within the limits of the Village. ... the violation of any such provision of this code (or any ordinance) shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or less than twenty dollars ($20.00). Each day any...
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