Animal Ordinances in Parma, OH (2026)
10 verified animal ordinances for Parma, Ohio, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Parma outlaws keeping chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, or any other fowl, and separately bans horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats, and swine, anywhere in the city. Codified Ordinances 618.09(b) and (d) allow only a narrow school exception for hatching chicks or ducklings for education, and a named exemption for the historic Stearns Homestead farm museum.
Parma Bans Backyard Chickens And Livestock
Heavy RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances 618.09(b), (d), (f), (j)
(b) The owning or keeping of any fowl, including, but not limited to domestic geese, ducks, turkeys, and chickens within the City limits is hereby prohibited. However: (1) Schools are not prohibited from raising chicks and/or ducks for educational purposes; and (2) When finished or no later than two weeks after the chicks and/or ducks have hatched, the schools must give the fowl to a farm autho...
Dog Leash Laws
Parma requires all dogs to be leashed or under physical control when off the owner's property under Codified Ordinance 505.07 and state law ORC 955.22. Running-at-large violations carry fines from 100 dollars, with enforcement by Parma Animal Control and the Cuyahoga County Dog Warden.
Animals: Dog Leash Laws
Heavy RestrictionsORC Section 955.22 — Vicious, dangerous, and nuisance dog acts
Section 955.22 | Vicious, dangerous, and nuisance dog acts. (A) As used in this section and sections 955.11, 955.23, and 955.24 of the Revised Code: [...] (3) 'Nuisance dog act' means one of the following actions committed by a dog without provocation and while off the premises of its owner, keeper, or harborer, other than by a police dog that is being used to assist one or more law enforcement...
Breed Restrictions
Parma does not impose breed-specific legislation; the city follows Ohio's behavior-based dangerous dog framework under ORC 955.11 (amended by HB 14 in 2012). Pit bulls and other breeds are legal, but any dog deemed dangerous or vicious faces containment, insurance, and registration requirements.
Animals: Breed Restrictions
Some RestrictionsORC Section 955.11 — Transfer of ownership; dangerous/vicious dog disclosure
Section 955.11 | Transfer of ownership. [...] (C) Within ten days after the transfer of ownership or possession of any dog, if the seller or other transferor of the dog has knowledge that the dog is a dangerous dog or vicious dog, the seller or other transferor shall give to the buyer or other transferee, the board of health for the district in which the buyer or other transferee resides, and t...
Beekeeping
Parma allows backyard beekeeping in residential zones but caps it at two hives on a 6,000-square-foot lot, rising to four hives on a half-acre. Codified Ordinances 618.29 requires every hive to sit at least five feet from property lines with flight paths steered away from neighbors, plus an on-site water source, and makes neglected hives a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
Parma Beekeeping Hive Limits And Setbacks
Some RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances 618.29(a), (b), (c), (e), (f)
(a) The keeping or harboring of bees, including but not limited to honey bees and bumble bees, shall be limited to a maximum of two hives on a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet, and no more than four hives on a one-half acre lot, in a residential zone only. ... (b) A beehive must be kept a minimum of five feet from property lines, and the bees' flight pattern must be directed away from a ne...
Exotic Pets
Parma prohibits dangerous wild animals under ORC 935 (Ohio's 2012 Dangerous Wild Animal Act), which bans private ownership of big cats, bears, primates, and large constrictors statewide. Parma CO 505 adds local prohibitions on keeping farm livestock in residential zones.
animals/exotic-pets
Heavy RestrictionsORC Chapter 935 — Possession of Wild Animals and Snakes; section 935.01 definitions
Chapter 935 | Possession Of Wild Animals And Snakes [...] Section 935.01 | Definitions. As used in this chapter: [...] (C) 'Dangerous wild animal' means any of the following, including hybrids unless otherwise specified: (1) Hyenas; (2) Gray wolves, excluding hybrids; (3) Lions; (4) Tigers; (5) Jaguars; (6) Leopards, including clouded leopards, Sunda clouded leopards, and snow leopards; (7) All...
Pet Limits
Parma's animal control code does not set a flat numeric cap on pets, but Codified Ordinances 618.01(t) defines a 'kennel' as any premises with five or more cats, kittens, dogs, or puppies. Cross five animals and the property falls under the same regulatory definition used for boarding and breeding operations, making four the practical ceiling for an ordinary household.
Parma Kennel Threshold For Household Pets
Light RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances 618.01(t)
“Kennel” or “shelter” means any premises upon which five or more cats or kittens and/or dogs and puppies are boarded, bred, trained, bought and/or sold, except for commercial animal establishments otherwise enumerated in the chapter.
Cat Rules
Parma's leash law covers cats as explicitly as dogs. Codified Ordinances 618.05(a) bars any owner from letting an animal, including dogs and cats, run at large anywhere in the city, defining 'at large' as outside a structure, secure fence, or leash, or improperly tethered. Violators face a second-degree misdemeanor, with a separate offense for each day the cat remains loose.
Parma Cats Banned From Running At Large
Some RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances 618.05(a), (d)
(a) No owner/guardian of any animal, including, but not limited to, dogs and cats, shall permit such an animal to run at large within the City at any time. Any animal shall be deemed running at large when such an animal is not inside a resident structure, secure fence or pen; on a leash and held by a person capable of controlling such animal; or tethered in such a manner as to prevent its getti...
Coyote Management
Parma bans owning or harboring a coyote outright under Codified Ordinances 618.09(a)(9), and separately prohibits hunting or trapping any animal citywide under 618.21, with one narrow exception: a Police Chief-issued archery permit for white-tailed deer damage control, plus City-sponsored deer culling by trained personnel on approved land.
Parma Coyote Ban And Deer Culling Rules
Heavy RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances 618.09(a)(9); 618.21(a), (b), (h)
(a) The owning, keeping or harboring of any wild, dangerous, poisonous or exotic animal, including, but not limited to the animals listed below, is hereby prohibited within the City limits. ... (9) Coyotes (Canis latrans); ... 618.21(a) The hunting of animals or fowl within the municipality is prohibited. No person shall hunt, kill or attempt to kill any animal or fowl by the use of firearms or...
Pet Store Rules
Parma does not ban retail sale of dogs and cats. Chapter 709 licenses pet shops through the Director of Public Safety for a $50 annual fee and sets minimum sale ages and care standards instead of an adoption-only mandate.
Parma Pet Shop Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances Section 709.03(g)-(h)
(g) No Selling of Pet Animals until Reaching a Minimum Age. (1) No dog or cat shall be sold prior to it reaching the age of eight weeks. (2) No guinea pig, hamster, or rabbit shall be sold prior to it reaching the age of four weeks. (h) Sale of Healthy Pet Animals. (1) Pet shop shall take all reasonable steps to sell healthy pet animals. (2) In the event t...
Bird Protection
Parma's animal abuse ordinance flatly bans killing any bird or disturbing its nest anywhere in the city. Codified Ordinances 618.03(g) applies to every species, with a narrow carve-out in division (i) for licensed pest-control operators using EPA-approved materials. A first offense is a first-degree misdemeanor; any repeat offense is elevated to a fifth-degree felony.
Parma Ban On Killing Or Molesting Wild Birds
Heavy RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances 618.03(g), (i), (k)
(g) No person shall willfully kill any bird or molest the nest of such birds. ... (i)(1) This section shall not preclude authorized pest control activities performed by any of the following individuals: A. Persons certified by the Ohio Department of Agriculture; or B. Persons under their direct supervision; or C. Any other governmental agency; or D. Any persons engaged in pest control activitie...
Looking for Cuyahoga County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Parma city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Cuyahoga County →