Animal Ordinances in Saratoga Springs, NY (2026)
4 verified animal ordinances for Saratoga Springs, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Saratoga Springs prohibits keeping any rooster on any property citywide, effective May 6, 2025, with the code defining a rooster as any adult male chicken. The only exception is a commercial farm or agricultural business in the RR zone. Hens remain permitted.
Saratoga Springs Bans Roosters; Backyard Hens Allowed
Some RestrictionsSaratoga Springs City Code Ch. 101, Art. VI, Sec. 101-20 (Noise by fowl), amended 5-6-2025
No person shall keep a rooster at any time on any property in the City of Saratoga Springs, except as part of a commercial farming or agricultural business which is the principal use of the property, which is located in the RR zone, and which is in all respects in conformance with the Unified Development Ordinance. As used in this section, the term "rooster" shall mean any adult male chicken. N...
Dog Leash Laws
Saratoga Springs requires every dog on any public street or public place to be under a person's control and held on a leash of sufficient strength. In the downtown T-6 zoning district, the leash may not exceed six feet in length.
Saratoga Springs Dog Leash and Control Law
Some Restrictions§ 101-8 (Leash or other control required.)
§ 101-8 Leash or other control required. A. No person, firm, association or corporation who owns, harbors or has the custody of any dog shall cause or permit said dog to be on any public street or in any public place in the City of Saratoga Springs unless said dog is under control of a person... B. ...no person, firm, association or corporation who owns, harbors or has custody of any dog shall ...
Exotic Pets
Saratoga Springs writes no exotic-pet ordinance of its own. New York's statewide ban does the work. Environmental Conservation Law § 11-0512 makes it illegal to keep a wild animal, from primates to big cats to venomous snakes, as a pet anywhere in the city.
Wild and Exotic Pets Banned in Saratoga Springs
Heavy RestrictionsN.Y. Environmental Conservation Law § 11-0512(1), (9)
1. It shall be prohibited for any person to: a. knowingly possess, harbor, sell, barter, transfer, exchange or import any wild animal for use as a pet in New York state, except as provided in subdivision three of this section... 9. ...any person who knowingly breeds a wild animal or knowingly possesses, owns, harbors, sells, barters, transfers, exchanges, or imports a wild animal for use as a p...
Pet Limits
Saratoga Springs caps no number of dogs or cats a household may keep. City Code Chapter 101 governs dog licensing, leashing, nuisance, and cruelty, not headcount. Running a boarding or breeding kennel is a commercial zoning use that needs a Rural Residential special use permit.
Saratoga Springs sets no per-household dog or cat limit
Few RestrictionsCity Code Ch. 101, Dogs and Other Animals (Arts. I-IX)
Chapter 101 Dogs and Other Animals [HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Saratoga Springs 4-4-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994; amended in its entirety 5-20-2008...] Article I Definitions ... Article II Dogs Generally § 101-2 Compliance required ... Article III Dog Control § 101-8 Leash or other control required ... § 101-9 Nuisances ... Article VI Poultry and Swine § 101-21 Keeping swine.
Looking for Saratoga County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Saratoga Springs city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Saratoga County →