Animal Ordinances in Simpsonville, SC (2026)
10 verified animal ordinances for Simpsonville, South Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Simpsonville has no chicken-specific ordinance, but Sec. 6-2 makes it unlawful to keep any fowl or domestic animal so as to become a nuisance through noise, odors, flies or filth. Coops must be kept clean and sanitary and cannot disturb neighbors.
Keeping Chickens and Fowl in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-2(a)
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep any domestic animals or fowl so as to be or become a nuisance, or because of noise, noxious odors, flies, filth or otherwise tend to impair health or disturb the peace and comfort of the normal or reasonable occupants of nearby residences or places of business.
Dog Leash Laws
Simpsonville requires all dogs to be leashed and under control whenever off the owner's private property. Leashes may not exceed 12 feet. Letting a dog run at large beyond your land is unlawful and owners must remove pet excrement.
Dog Leash Law in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-7(a)
All dogs when off the private property where the dog is housed shall be in the control of the owner and on a leash at all times. Leashes shall not exceed 12 feet in length.
Breed Restrictions
Simpsonville does not ban any dog breed. Instead it regulates dangerous dogs by behavior: Sec. 6-85 makes it unlawful to keep any 'vicious' animal, defined by attack propensity rather than breed. Confinement, seizure, and destruction can follow a vicious determination.
Dog Breed Restrictions in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-81
Vicious animal means an animal: (1) With a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury to, or to otherwise endanger the safety of humans or domestic pets; or (2) Which attacks or has attacked a human being or other domestic animal without provocation; or (3) Which is trained or used to fight, or to attack humans.
Beekeeping
Simpsonville's animal code sets no beekeeping-specific rules. Bees fall under the general nuisance standard of Sec. 6-2, which bars keeping any animal that creates a nuisance for neighbors. Parcel zoning governs whether hives are allowed; check with Planning & Codes.
Beekeeping Rules in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsExotic Pets
Simpsonville's code defines 'animal' to include any wild or domesticated nonhuman vertebrate, so wild and exotic animals fall under the same control, vicious-animal, and nuisance rules. South Carolina's state exotic-pet ban (S.C. Code 47-2-10 et seq.) also applies within the city.
Exotic and Wild Animals in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-81
Animal means any nonhuman living vertebrate, whether wild or domesticated.
Wildlife Feeding
Simpsonville has no ordinance directly banning wildlife feeding, but Sec. 6-2 and Sec. 6-84's nuisance rules apply if feeding attracts pests, odors, or vermin. The city is also a designated bird sanctuary where harming any bird life is unlawful.
Feeding Wildlife in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-6
The city shall be a sanctuary for bird life and all forms of bird life are to be protected, and it shall be unlawful for any person at any time and under any circumstances to molest, kill or destroy any form of bird life within the incorporated limits of the city.
Livestock
Simpsonville's animal code has no livestock-specific ordinance, but Sec. 6-2 bars keeping any domestic animal or fowl as a nuisance and requires stables, barns and houses to stay clean with no manure buildup. Whether livestock is allowed on a lot is a zoning question.
Keeping Livestock in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-2(a)
All stables, houses and barns shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition. The manure shall not be allowed to accumulate.
Animal Hoarding
Simpsonville tackles hoarding through its four-animal cap (Sec. 6-84), cruelty rules (Sec. 6-4), and unsanitary-conditions nuisance provisions. Keeping animals in filth or too many for the space is a misdemeanor, and animal control can obtain a search warrant and seize animals.
Animal Hoarding and Neglect in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-84(c)(5)
Maintaining an animal in an environment of unsanitary conditions which results in offensive odors, filth, vermin or disease, or is dangerous to the animal or to the public health, safety or welfare.
Pet Limits
Simpsonville caps animals at four per lot under one acre. Sec. 6-84 declares it a nuisance to keep more than four animals on any real-estate lot smaller than one acre, except for licensed veterinarians and boarding businesses. Exceeding the limit is a misdemeanor.
How Many Pets You Can Own in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsSimpsonville City Code Sec. 6-84(a)
It shall be a nuisance to keep more than four animals on the premises of any real estate lot of less than one acre in size. This provision shall not apply to a veterinarian or boarding establishment for animals, provided such person or business entity is in compliance with all licensing and zoning laws.
Cat Rules
Simpsonville does not require cats to be leashed, but cats count toward the four-animal-per-lot limit and must not become a nuisance. Animal control may, but is not required to, impound felines. Cats must be vaccinated against rabies under South Carolina law.
Cat Rules in Simpsonville, SC
Some RestrictionsS.C. Code § 47-5-60
A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Looking for Greenville County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Simpsonville city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Greenville County →