Animal Ordinances in DuPage County, IL (2026)
11 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in DuPage County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Horses are allowed on unincorporated DuPage County residential lots only inside a fenced pasture, corral, or paddock, with a minimum 10,000-square-foot area required for each horse kept.
DuPage County Horse-Keeping Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsDuPage County Zoning Ordinance § 37-700.8(F)
Horses: Where horses are permitted the following shall apply: Horses shall be confined to a pasture, corral or paddock area... Each horse on a zoning lot shall have a contiguous designated area of at least ten thousand (10,000) square feet per horse, exclusive of all other areas on the property used for principal and accessory buildings, structures and/or uses including septic area and well areas.
Dog Leash Laws
DuPage County defines a dog as under "control" only when it is on a leash, confined to its owner's premises, or shut in a crate, cage or vehicle; a leash itself cannot exceed eight feet. Letting a dog run outside that control counts as running uncontrolled, a direct code violation in unincorporated areas.
DuPage County Dog Control & Leash Rule
Some RestrictionsDuPage County Code §§ 5-2, 5-3(O)(1)
Control: Any owned animal that is secured by a leash, or within the premises of its owner or another person with the consent of the person and prevented from leaving said premises by some suitable barrier or restriction, or confined within a crate or cage, or confined within a vehicle. Leash: A cord, chain, strap or lead not exceeding more than eight (8) feet in length with which an animal may ...
Beekeeping
Beekeeping in DuPage County is governed primarily by the Illinois Bees and Apiaries Act. Every person keeping one or more colonies of bees in DuPage County must register annually with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). Registration is free and provides a registration number for each apiary the beekeeper controls.
DuPage County Beekeeping: State Registration
Some Restrictions510 ILCS 20/2, 20/2-1, 20/2a (Illinois Bees and Apiaries Act)
Every person keeping one or more colonies of bees shall register with the Department annually. All bees, colonies, or items of bee equipment, where bee diseases, bee parasites or exotic strains of bees exist...are declared to be nuisances to be regulated as prescribed by the Department. No person shall transport a colony of bees or items of used bee equipment between counties within this State ...
Exotic Pets
DuPage County bans keeping lions, tigers, bears, wolves, crocodilians, and poisonous reptiles as pets unless the owner holds a state or federal wildlife permit.
DuPage County Wild & Exotic Animal Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSec. 5-10, DuPage County Code ("DANGEROUS ANIMALS")
Possession of a lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, any hybrid thereof, or any other similar feline animal, bear hyena, wolf coyote, wolf-dog or coyote-dog hybrid, any member of the crocodilian family, poisonous reptile, or any other life threatening reptile or any other animal which is feral naturae in the eyes of the law shall be pro...
Pet Limits
Unincorporated DuPage County caps household pets at four per dwelling. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 37-700.8(E) states there shall be no more than four pets over four months of age in any dwelling unit, a limit that applies on top of, not instead of, separate rules for horses and dangerous animals.
DuPage County 4-Pet Household Limit
Some RestrictionsDuPage County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 37-700.8(E)
E.There shall be no more than four (4) pets over four (4) months of age in any dwelling unit.
Cat Rules
DuPage County bars cats from schools, public playgrounds and swimming pools without written permission from the property owner, and separately requires any cat in heat to be confined so it cannot reach a male outside a planned breeding. Guide dogs are exempt; there is no comparable exemption written for cats.
DuPage County Cat Restrictions & Heat Rules
Some RestrictionsDuPage County Code §§ 5-8, 5-9
A.Cats and dogs shall not be permitted to enter any place where food is processed for human consumption. Guide dogs and guard dogs used in food establishments are exempt from this restriction.B.Cats and dogs, except guide dogs, shall not be present at or upon any school premises, public playground or public swimming pool unless official written permission has been granted by the public agency o...
Microchipping
DuPage County does not require every pet to carry a microchip, but any dog or cat placed under the county's ten-day rabies observation after biting someone must be microchipped at the first veterinary exam. The same mandate follows the animal through impoundment, stray reclaim, and guard-dog registration.
DuPage County Biting-Animal Microchip Rule
Some RestrictionsDuPage County Code § 5-5(B)
When the administrator receives information that any person has been bitten by an animal the administrator shall have the owner confine the biting animal under observation of a licensed veterinarian for a period of ten (10) days beginning within twenty-four (24) hours of the biting incident. All dogs and cats under observation, owned by a resident of DuPage County, shall be implanted with a mic...
Pet Store Rules
DuPage County bans pet shops from selling dogs or cats at all: retail sale is a public nuisance under Sec. 26-9, with only shelter adoption partnerships allowed.
DuPage County Pet Shop Dog & Cat Sale Ban
Heavy RestrictionsDuPage County Code § 26-9 (Pet Shops; Nuisance; Violations)
It shall be a public nuisance to operate any pet shop where the pet shop operator displays, sells, delivers, offers for sale, barters, auctions, gives away or otherwise transfers or disposes of dogs or cats. It is not a nuisance for pet shop operators to collaborate with animal control facilities or animal shelters to offer space for such entities to showcase adoptable dogs and cats provided th...
Pet Groomer Rules
Pet grooming shops are a permitted, by-right use in unincorporated DuPage County's B-1 Local Business District, so opening one does not require a conditional-use hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals. The zoning ordinance still requires every permitted use in B-1 to sit on a lot of at least 0.5 acre with 100 feet of frontage, and operating outside that framework risks fines up to $500 a week.
DuPage County Pet Grooming Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsDuPage County Zoning Ordinance §§ 37-801, 37-801.1, 37-801.3, 37-1417
37-801: - B-1 LOCAL BUSINESS DISTRICT. The B-1 local business district is intended to provide areas for retail or service establishments supplying convenience items or personal services for the daily needs of residents within the neighborhood. ... 37-801.1: - PERMITTED USES. The following uses are permitted: ... Service businesses: Animal grooming. ... 37-801.3: - LOT SIZE REQUIREMENTS. Except ...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Animal hospitals need a conditional-use permit to open in unincorporated DuPage County: they are not on the permitted-use list in the B-1 or B-2 business districts, so the County Board must approve one after a public hearing under Section 37-1413. The zoning ordinance defines 'animal hospital' broadly, covering any building used for the care, observation or treatment of animals or pets.
DuPage County Animal Hospital Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsDuPage County Zoning Ordinance §§ 37-302, 37-801.2, 37-802.2, 37-1417
37-302: - DEFINITIONS. Animal hospital: Any building or portion thereof designed or used for the care, observation, or treatment of animals or pets. ... 37-801.2: - CONDITIONAL USES. The following conditional uses require prior approval after a public hearing in accordance with the requirements of Section 37-1413 of this chapter: Amusement arcades. Animal hospitals. ... 37-802.2: - CONDITIONAL ...
Bird Protection
DuPage County's animal ordinance bars anyone from killing, wounding or taking the nest, eggs or young of a bird protected under federal or state law. The ban tracks the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Illinois wildlife law, and it carries the same misdemeanor penalty as the county's other animal-control violations.
DuPage County Protected Bird & Nest Ban
Significant RestrictionsDuPage County Code § 5-3(L)
No person shall kill or wound, attempt to kill or wound or take the nest or eggs or young of any bird that is protected by federal or state law. Birds that are not regulated by the Illinois Department of Conservation are excluded from this restriction during the period of regulation.
Animal Ordinances by City in DuPage County
1 cities in DuPage County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All DuPage County ordinances
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