Animal Ordinances in Yonkers, NY (2026)
6 verified animal ordinances for Yonkers, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Yonkers bars keeping backyard chickens or any other poultry, fowl or bird on a residential property. City Code § 65-23 carves out only live poultry markets and small caged pet birds like canaries, parakeets and lovebirds kept without becoming a health nuisance.
Yonkers Bans Keeping Poultry and Livestock
Heavy RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 65-23
No person shall keep, cause or allow to be kept on, in or about any premises or property any poultry, fowl or other birds, except as hereinafter provided: A. It shall be lawful to keep for purposes of sale live poultry in a live poultry market. B. It shall be lawful to keep for purposes of sale at mercantile establishments lovebirds, canaries, parakeets and other birds of similar variety where ...
Dog Leash Laws
Every dog in Yonkers must be on a leash no longer than six feet whenever it is off its owner's property, with dangerous dogs held to the tighter four-foot, muzzled standard. Dogs may run loose only on private property the owner occupies, and only if they can't escape or become a nuisance.
Yonkers Dogs Must Be Leashed in Public
Some RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 65-8
No person owning, harboring or having the custody and control of any animal except a cat shall permit or allow such dog to run or be at large in any public place in the City of Yonkers unless restrained by a chain or leash not exceeding six feet in length or in accordance with § 65-6 above, if applicable. Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the running at large of any unleashed dog...
Breed Restrictions
Yonkers doesn't regulate dogs by breed: it licenses and restrains any dog or animal that meets the City Code's behavior-based definition of 'dangerous.' Owners must get a special license, pay a $50 add-on fee, carry $100,000 in liability insurance, and follow strict confinement, leash and muzzle rules.
Yonkers Dangerous Dog Licensing and Rules
Significant RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 65-4
Any dog or other animal that is a dangerous animal, as defined herein, must obtain a special license from the City of Yonkers and wear a tag or other identifying collar of a conspicuous nature as issued by the City of Yonkers. The requirements of this license are the following: A. An application fee of $50, in addition to the regular required license fee. B. Proof of insurance for the compensat...
Exotic Pets
Yonkers bars anyone from putting on a display of wild or exotic animals, or a rodeo, on any property the City has an interest in, from circuses and photo ops to carnival rides featuring animals. The 2020 ordinance defines 'wild or exotic animal' broadly, covering primates, big cats, wolves, bears, elephants and reptiles, among others.
Yonkers Bars Wild Animal Displays on City Land
Significant RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 65-30
A. A person must not conduct or operate a display of wild or exotic animals on any property located within the City of Yonkers in which the City has a property interest. B. A person shall not conduct or operate a rodeo on any property located within the City of Yonkers in which the City has a property interest.
Wildlife Feeding
Yonkers City Code § 58-20D, amended in 2023, bars leaving food for birds, fowl, dogs, cats or other animals in the open, or in any manner that rodents can reach, in and around multiunit residential buildings; food left overnight in a hallway or common area is banned outright.
Yonkers Restricts Feeding Animals Near Apartments
Some RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 58-20D
Feeding of birds, fowl or other animals regulated in and around multiunit residential buildings. No person shall place food for the feeding of birds, fowl, dogs, cats, or other animals in the open or in such a manner that such food is accessible to rodents, except where such food is placed in such containers as will prevent the scattering of such food upon the ground, and after such feeding, no...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Veterinary offices and animal hospitals in Yonkers need a special use permit under City Code Chapter 43 and must keep all animal-holding buildings, exercise areas and accessory areas at least 50 feet from any residential use or district boundary. Overnight boarding buildings must be soundproofed and sealed so no animal reaches the outdoors between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Yonkers Veterinary Offices: 50-Foot Buffer Rule
Some RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 43-74I
(1) All buildings and structures housing animals, exercise areas, and other accessory use areas, except off-street parking, shall be 50 feet from any residential use or district boundary line. (2) All buildings housing animals for overnight stays shall be soundproofed and entirely closed such that no animal shall be permitted to gain access to the outdoors between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:...
Looking for Westchester County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Yonkers city rules.
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