Animal Ordinances in Macon County, IL (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Macon County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In unincorporated Macon County, keeping chickens or livestock is legal, but the county's nuisance code controls how you keep them: coops, pens, and stables cannot be left in a foul or filthy condition, manure must be stored fly-tight and at least 75 feet from every property line, and true farming operations raising cattle, hogs, sheep, or poultry are exempt from this nuisance category.
Macon County Chicken Coop and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsMacon County Code § 90.20
(B) No person shall keep any chicken coop, corral, animal pen, stable, grounds or premises in a foul, offensive, nauseous, or filthy condition. (C) All manure waste from animals must be removed from the premises and stored in a fly tight container or otherwise meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations regarding manure storage. No manure storage shall be closer than 75 feet ...
Dog Leash Laws
In unincorporated Macon County, every animal owner must confine the animal to their own property or keep it under direct, effective physical control. Macon County Code § 96.04 lets Animal Control apprehend and impound any animal caught running at large, with limited exceptions for hunting dogs, tracking dogs and canine-corps animals on duty.
Macon County Dogs-at-Large Restraint Rule
Some RestrictionsMacon County Code §§ 96.02, 96.04
RUN AT LARGE. Suffering, permitting, or causing an animal to be at any place within the county, at any time, outside an escape-proof building or other enclosure without such animal being under direct, effective physical control of the owner thereof, or his or her agent, or a member of the immediate family of said owner. ... Every owner of an animal shall contain such animal to the confines of t...
Pet Limits
In unincorporated Macon County, owning more than seven dogs, cats, or a combination on one property or dwelling requires a multiple-pet license from Macon County Animal Control under Code § 96.14. Below that threshold, no special license is needed beyond the standard annual dog and cat registration Animal Control's authorized veterinary agents already handle.
Macon County Pet Limit: Multiple-Pet License Above 7
Some RestrictionsMacon County Code § 96.14
No person shall own or allow more than seven dogs, cats or a combination thereof on any one property or dwelling unit without obtaining a multiple-pet license from Macon County Animal Control.
Cat Rules
Unincorporated Macon County requires every cat four months or older to be registered like a dog, with a $15 fee if spayed or neutered and $50 if not. Macon County Code § 96.17(C) exempts feral cats and cats owned by non-residents visiting fewer than 30 days from that registration duty.
Macon County Cat Licensing and Feral Exemption
Some RestrictionsMacon County Code §§ 96.07, 96.17(C)
No person shall own a dog or cat four months or more of age within the county unless said dog or cat has been registered in accordance with state law and the provisions of this chapter. ... (C) The provisions of this section shall not apply to dogs or cats the owners of which are not residents within the county and are temporarily within the county for a period of less than 30 days, nor shall...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Macon County does not require pet owners to spay or neuter dogs or cats. Instead, Code § 96.17 sets a lower annual registration fee for altered animals, $15 versus $50 for pets that remain intact, creating a financial incentive without an outright sterilization mandate.
Macon County: No Spay-Neuter Mandate, Fee Incentive
Light RestrictionsMacon County Code § 96.17
The annual registration fee for dogs and cats registered within 30 days of inoculation against rabies shall be $15 if the dog or cat is spayed or neutered and $50 if the dog or cat is not so altered.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
In unincorporated Macon County, a veterinarian, animal hospital, kennel, or riding academy is a permitted use in the B2 Commercial District only if every building, kennel, or exercise runway sits at least 100 feet from the nearest R (residential) District boundary. The same use is flatly barred from the county's Interchange Business and Interchange Industrial overlay districts near freeway ramps.
Veterinary Clinics in Unincorporated Macon County
Some RestrictionsMacon County Code § 155.136(B)(1)(p)
(p) Veterinarian or animal hospital, kennels, or riding academy, providing that no building, kennel, or exercise runway shall be no closer than 100 feet to any R District;
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