10 rules for unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Prince George's County permits backyard chickens only in specific residential and agricultural zones with minimum lot sizes. Roosters are barred in residential areas, and larger livestock is generally limited to agricultural-zoned acreage.
Prince George's County requires dogs to be leashed or confined whenever off the owner's premises. Animals running at large may be impounded, and leashes are capped at ten feet. Retractable leashes and e-collars do not satisfy the requirement.
Prince George's County's 27-year pit bull ban was repealed by CB-97-2025, effective February 2, 2026. Pit bull terriers may now be legally owned and adopted with a county permit, microchip, spay/neuter, rabies proof, and a Pet Parenting certificate.
Prince George's County treats beekeeping as an agricultural use governed by zoning rather than the animal-control code. Keeping bees is allowed on urban farms and agricultural-zoned land, subject to Planning Department land-use rules.
Prince George's County prohibits keeping unlicensed wild, exotic, vicious, or dangerous animals as pets, for breeding, sale, or display. Native wildlife and non-domestic cats are specifically banned without a director's permit.
PG County Code § 3-176
No person shall keep or permit to be kept on his premises any unlicensed wild or exotic, vicious, or dangerous animal either as a pet, for breeding, for sale, or for display or exhibition purposes…
Prince George's County allows responsible feeding of free-roaming cats but restricts practices that attract nuisance wildlife. Food should not be left out more than an hour or overnight, to avoid drawing rodents, raccoons, and coyotes.
Prince George's County confines livestock such as horses and larger farm animals to agricultural-zoned land with substantial acreage. Livestock other than fowl and bees is generally not allowed in residential or urban-agriculture zones.
Prince George's County limits large accumulations of animals through the hobby-permit cap and prohibits animal cruelty and neglect. Keeping five or more animals without a permit or in poor conditions can trigger seizure and penalties.
PG County Code § 3-116.01(b)
A Pit Bull that causes injury to or kills a human being or a domestic animal without provocation shall be humanely destroyed, and the owner of such dog shall be fined up to $1,000.00 or may be sentenced to not more than six (6) months of imprisonment.
Prince George's County requires an animal hobby permit for anyone keeping five or more animals larger than a guinea pig that are over four months old. Kennels, catteries, and similar operations need a separate facility license.
Prince George's County requires cats over four months old to be licensed and rabies-vaccinated. Free-roaming community cats are excluded from the at-large rules, and the county supports trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs.
See every category we cover for Prince George's County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Prince George's County Ordinance Hub →