Animal Ordinances in Tulsa, OK (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for Tulsa, Oklahoma, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Tulsa allows up to six adult chickens and fourteen chicks under eight weeks on non-agricultural lots, but the coop must sit at least 50 feet from any neighboring residence and stay sanitary and pest-screened.
Tulsa Backyard Chicken Keeping Rules
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, Section 200(D)
D.Poultry kept in areas not zoned for agriculture shall not exceed six (6) adults and fourteen (14) chicks under the age of eight (8) weeks, and must be kept under the following conditions:1.The fowl must be kept in a building which at its nearest point is no closer than fifty (50) feet to any adjoining residence;2.The floors of such building shall be of easily cleanable construction, and shall...
Dog Leash Laws
Tulsa dog owners must keep their dog confined on their property or under leash once it leaves that property. Letting a dog run at large is a city offense, with narrow carve-outs for on-duty police dogs and designated off-leash parks.
Tulsa Dog Leash & At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 101.A.2
Fail to prevent any dog or cat owned, possessed, kept or harbored by that person from running or being at large, whether such dog or cat is licensed or unlicensed; provided, however, that it shall be permissible for: a. A dog to be led off the premises of its owner when under leash; ...or c. For a dog to not be under leash within an Off-Leash Park Area designated by the Park and Recreation Boar...
Breed Restrictions
Tulsa regulates dogs based on bite history, not breed. A dog declared "dangerous" needs a $50,000 insurance policy, a posted warning sign, a secure enclosure, and a muzzle in public; the city names no restricted breed.
Tulsa's Dangerous Dog Law Targets Behavior, Not Breed
Significant RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 100
Dangerous Dog means any dog that has: A.Inflicted severe injury on a human being without provocation on public or private property,B.Been previously found to be potentially dangerous, the owner having received notice of such by an animal welfare authority in writing and the dog thereafter aggressively bites, attacks, or endangers the safety of humans, dogs or domestic animals.C.Been previous...
Beekeeping
Tulsa allows backyard honeybee hives but caps density at four hives per quarter acre, requires a 20-foot lot-line setback, a 6-foot screening hedge or fence, and standing water within 20 feet of each hive.
Tulsa Backyard Beekeeping Rules
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, Ch. 1, § 101.A.16
Harbor, keep or possess domestic honeybees otherwise permitted by this chapter unless the bees are maintained as follows: a. No more than four (4) hives shall be maintained for each one-quarter (1/4) acre or less of lot size on any lot; and b. No hive shall be maintained within twenty (20) feet of any lot line of the lot on which said hive is located; and c. ...maintain a hedge or a screening f...
Exotic Pets
Tulsa outright bans keeping, owning or exhibiting any animal wild by nature, big cats, bears, wolves, primates, venomous species, as a pet, with only a narrow federal- and state-licensed exhibition exception.
Tulsa Bans Wild Animals as Pets
Heavy RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 101.A.8
8.Keep, possess, own, harbor or exhibit any animal wild by nature except as an exhibition complying with all aspects of federal laws and regulations and Oklahoma laws and regulations applicable to exhibition of animals wild by nature.
Pet Limits
Tulsa caps households at five dogs and cats combined once they're over four months old; keeping more without a Hobbyist Exemption Permit is a criminal offense enforced by the city's Working in Neighborhoods department.
Tulsa Five-Pet Limit for Dogs and Cats
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 101.A.15
Harbor, keep or possess in any one household more than a combined total of five (5) dogs and cats over the age of four (4) months. It is specifically provided a household may keep or possess more dogs and/or cats than permitted by this subparagraph so long as the household or an individual in the household has secured a Hobbyist Exemption permit as required by this title.
Cat Rules
Tulsa requires every cat over four months old to carry a current rabies vaccination and city license, and bans letting cats run at large within city limits, with WIN and the Chief of Police enforcing violations.
Tulsa Cat Licensing and At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 101
It shall be unlawful and an offense under the terms of this title for any person within the corporate limits of the City of Tulsa to:1.Own, keep, possess, harbor or allow to remain on premises under that person's control any dog or cat over four (4) months old, unless such dog or cat has a current license and a current vaccination against rabies as required in this title.2.Fail to prevent any d...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Tulsa requires every dog and cat over six months old to be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds a Hobbyist Exemption Permit issued by the Finance Director.
Tulsa Mandatory Spay/Neuter Rule
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 101.A.18
Harbor, keep or possess a dog or cat over the age of six (6) months, other than a dog owned and used by the Police Department of the City as a police dog, which has not been spayed or neutered, unless the owner has secured a Hobbyist Exemption Permit as required in this title, and has continuously maintained such license.
Pet Store Rules
Tulsa doesn't ban retail sale of dogs and cats: pet stores operate as Type B commercial animal establishments under Title 2, needing a city permit, a 10-year animal-abuse background check, and written origin/breeder disclosure to buyers.
Tulsa Pet Store Permit & Disclosure Rules
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 110(C)
Commercial animal establishments (Type B). No registration papers for animals not on the premises may be kept on the premises, except those when attached to a contract of sale. Vaccination and other medical care of such animals shall be current, and the purchaser shall receive complete health records. The establishment shall provide written documentation of each animal's origin, including the b...
Pet Groomer Rules
Tulsa treats grooming and bathing facilities as Type A commercial animal establishments, requiring sanitary holding areas, disease prevention, and prompt veterinary care for any animal in their custody that is sick or hurt.
Tulsa Pet Groomer Sanitation Rules
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 2, § 110(A)
Each commercial animal establishment, of any type, shall keep and maintain its animals and all pens, cages, tanks or other holding facilities in which animals are kept in such a manner as to prevent a nuisance or health hazard to humans and to avoid injury and minimize illness to such animals. All holding areas shall be disinfected periodically to reduce disease pathogens.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Veterinary clinics and animal hospitals are permitted by right in Tulsa's CS, CG, CH, CBD, IL, IM and IH zoning districts, but a screening fence or wall is required where the site borders a residential or AG-R lot.
Tulsa Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 42 (Zoning Code), § 40.020
Whenever an animal services use is located on a lot abutting an R- or AG-R-zoned lot, a screening wall or fence must be provided along the common lot line in accordance with the F1 screening fence or wall standards of Subsection 65.070C.
Bird Protection
Tulsa's Penal Code makes it an offense to kill, wound, maim, injure or harm any bird, to shoot or throw a weapon or missile at one, or to destroy a bird's nest, eggs, or contents anywhere in the city.
Tulsa Ban on Harming Birds and Nests
Heavy RestrictionsTulsa Revised Ordinances, Title 27 (Penal Code), § 1802
It shall be an offense for any person to kill, wound, maim, injure or harm in any manner any bird or animal; or to throw, fire or shoot any gun, pistol or other deadly weapon or any stone, arrow or other missile at such bird or animal; or to break, tear down or destroy any bird's nest or the eggs or other contents of their nests.