10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Lancaster County, Nebraska.
Verified from official government sources
In Lincoln you may keep up to two hens without a permit; a Pigeons, Small Animal and Fowl permit (LMC 6.04.040) is required to keep more, up to about 20 birds depending on lot size. Roosters are effectively barred by noise and permit limits. Unincorporated county land is zoned separately.
Lincoln-Lancaster County Animal Control bans dogs (and most animals) from running at large. Off your property a dog must be leashed and under control. All dogs over six months must be licensed with a current rabies vaccination.
Lincoln Municipal Code 6.04.120
No person keeping or harboring any animal shall permit such animal, except pigeons, to go loose or run at large.
Lincoln and Lancaster County do not ban any dog breed. Regulation is behavior-based: a dog can be declared dangerous or potentially dangerous under Lincoln Municipal Code Chapter 6.10, using the standards in Nebraska's dangerous-dog statute (Neb. Rev. Stat. 54-617), which turns on the dog's conduct, not its breed.
Neb. Rev. Stat. 54-617
Dangerous dog means a dog that, according to the records of an animal control authority: (i) Has killed a human being; (ii) has inflicted injury on a human being that requires medical treatment; (iii) has killed a domestic animal without provocation.
Lincoln allows residential beekeeping under Lincoln Municipal Code Chapter 6.16 (Apiaries), with hive setbacks from dwellings and lot lines and a cap on hives tied to lot size. Registration/permitting and flyway-barrier and water requirements apply. Unincorporated county keeping follows county zoning.
Lincoln-Lancaster County Animal Control restricts keeping wild, exotic, or dangerous animals within the city. Native and truly wild species generally cannot be kept as pets, and Nebraska Game and Parks regulates possession of native wildlife. Check the current code and state permits before acquiring any exotic animal.
Lancaster County and Lincoln have no blanket ordinance banning the feeding of wildlife, but feeding that attracts nuisance animals or creates unsanitary conditions can be enforced under Lincoln's general animal-control and nuisance provisions. Deliberately feeding deer or other wildlife into a nuisance is discouraged and may draw a citation.
Keeping livestock inside Lincoln is limited to permitted small fowl and small animals; larger livestock generally belongs on agricultural-zoned land. Unincorporated Lancaster County acreages are governed by the County Zoning Resolution, and Nebraska's Right to Farm Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-4403) shields established farm operations from later nuisance suits.
Neb. Rev. Stat. 2-4403
A farm or farm operation or a public grain warehouse or public grain warehouse operation shall not be found to be a public or private nuisance if the farm or farm operation ... existed before a change in the land use or occupancy of land.
Lincoln-Lancaster County limits the number of dogs and cats per home and enforces sanitation and welfare standards, which together address hoarding. Keeping animals beyond the three-dog/five-cat limit without a permit, or in unsanitary or neglectful conditions, is enforced by Animal Control and can trigger seizure under Nebraska animal-cruelty law.
In Lincoln you may keep up to three dogs and up to five cats over six months of age at one residence without a special permit. A Multi-Dog Household permit (LMC 6.08.180) or Multi-Cat Household permit (LMC 6.12.132) is required to exceed those numbers.
Lincoln allows up to five cats over six months old per residence without a permit; more requires a Multi-Cat Household permit (LMC 6.12.132, up to 15 altered cats). Cats over six months must be licensed and vaccinated against rabies, and owners may not let animals run loose.
1 cities in Lancaster County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Lancaster County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Lancaster County Ordinance Hub →