Animal Ordinances in Rochester, NY (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Rochester, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Keeping chickens or other fowl in Rochester requires a license from the Chief of Police and compliance with numeric space and setback standards under City Code § 30-19. Selling live fowl on city streets is banned outright, and raising fowl commercially to sell is prohibited citywide under §§ 30-13 and 30-14.
Rochester Backyard Chicken and Fowl Rules
Some RestrictionsRochester City Code § 30-19
§ 30-19. Regulations relating to fowl. A. All fowl shall be kept on premises of the licensee, except, however, that licensee may exercise and engage in flight only pigeons or carrier pigeons. B. Each fowl shall have at least four square feet of floor space when kept in a coop and shall have at least four square feet of space in addition thereto as and for a runway. C. Not more than 30 fowl may ...
Dog Leash Laws
Every dog in Rochester must be restrained by a leash whenever off the owner's premises, under Code § 31-4, regardless of whether the dog is tagged or licensed. Leash and tethering violations run $100 to $200 for a first offense up to $500 to $1,000 for a third or later offense under § 31-17(A)(2).
Rochester Leash Law: Dogs Off Owner's Premises
Some RestrictionsRochester City Code § 31-4
§ 31-4. All dogs to be leashed. All dogs in the City of Rochester are hereby required to be restrained by a leash while off the owner's premises, whether such dogs are or are not tagged or licensed; provided, however, that dogs are permitted to be unleashed while off the owner's premises when on the premises of another person with such other person's consent; and no person who owns, keeps, harb...
Breed Restrictions
Rochester's dangerous-dog law is conduct-based, not breed-based: no breed is named or banned. Once a dog is declared dangerous under § 31-2's behavioral definition, Code § 31-7 lets City Court order a leash no more than four feet long, a muzzle, an eight-foot secure enclosure, warning signage and $100,000 liability coverage, with fines up to $1,000 for noncompliance.
Rochester Dangerous Dog Declaration and Restraints
Significant RestrictionsRochester City Code § 31-7(A), (D)(2)
A. No person shall own or harbor a dangerous dog, unless such dog is at all times restrained and controlled so as to prevent the attack of or injury to any person, companion animal, domestic animal or farm animal, and so as to prevent such dog from putting any person in reasonable fear of immediate bodily harm, provided that such person is peaceably conducting himself or herself in a place wher...
Exotic Pets
Rochester outright bans owning, possessing or harboring any "wild animal" within city limits under Code § 30-26, a category covering primates, big cats, wolf hybrids, bears, venomous and giant constrictor snakes, and crocodilians defined in § 30-25. Constrictor snakes are separately barred from all public places under § 30-27.
Rochester Ban on Owning Wild Animals
Heavy RestrictionsRochester City Code §§ 30-26, 30-27
§ 30-26. Wild animals prohibited. No person shall own, bring into, possess, harbor or keep any wild animal in the City nor allow or permit any such wild animal so owned, brought, possessed, harbored or kept to run at large upon any street or public place. § 30-27. Constrictor snakes prohibited in public places. No person shall carry, bring or possess a constrictor snake in a public place in the...
Pet Limits
Rochester caps dogs over four months old at four per premises with three or fewer dwelling units, and just one per unit in buildings with four or more units, with an exception for pet shops, veterinary hospitals and zoning-approved kennels.
Rochester Dog Limit: 4 Per House, 1 Per Apartment
Some RestrictionsCode of the City of Rochester § 31-11(A)
No person or persons shall own, harbor or keep more than four dogs which are more than four months of age in any premises containing three or fewer dwelling units, or more than one dog more than four months of age in any dwelling unit in a premises containing four or more dwelling units, except in pet shops, veterinary hospitals and kennels established in accordance with the Zoning Code.
Cat Rules
Rochester has no cat licensing scheme, but bars cats and other non-dog animals from running at large on streets under Code § 30-1. Feral cats, defined at § 30-43 as unowned and unsocialized, get a shortened three-day reclaim window under § 30-39(C) before the shelter can release them for adoption, instead of the standard five-day hold.
Rochester Cat At-Large and Feral Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsRochester City Code §§ 30-1, 30-39(C)
§ 30-1. Prohibited from running at large. Animals or fowls must not run at large upon any street or place to the injury and annoyance of the public. This section does not apply to dogs. [§ 30-39(C)] Notwithstanding the reclaiming period set forth in Subsection B above, the minimum owner reclaiming period shall be three days for any cat whose owner cannot be identified by a collar, tag, microchi...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
The Animal Services Center will not release a cat or dog to an adopter unless the animal has been sterilized by a licensed veterinarian, under Code § 30-42(B) for cats and § 31-22(B) for dogs. A vet-certified medical contraindication is the only exception, and age alone cannot excuse an animal that is at least eight weeks old.
Rochester Spay/Neuter Mandate for Adopted Pets
Some RestrictionsRochester City Code § 30-42(B)
The Animal Services Center shall not release a cat to a person adopting such cat unless such cat has been sterilized by a licensed veterinarian; provided, however, that such requirement shall not apply if a licensed veterinarian certifies to Animal Services that he or she has examined such cat and found that because of a medical contraindication, the life of such cat would be endangered by ster...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Rochester's Zoning Code lists animal hospitals as a permitted use only in specific commercial districts: enclosed-building only in the C-2 Community Center District, and unrestricted alongside kennels in the C-3 Regional Destination Center District.
Rochester Zoning Rules for Animal Hospitals
Some RestrictionsRochester City Code § 120-42(H); § 120-50(H)
§ 120-42. Permitted uses and structures. The following uses are permitted in the C-2 District, when conducted entirely within an enclosed building with hours of operation limited to 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. ... H. Animal hospitals when conducted entirely within an enclosed building. // § 120-50. Permitted uses and structures. The following uses are permitted in the C-3 District: ... H. Animal hos...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Rochester city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Monroe County →