Animal Ordinances in Richland County, SC (2026)
7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Richland County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Richland County's animal care ordinance doesn't cap how many chickens or livestock a lot may hold; that sits in the separate Land Development Code. But Chapter 5 does require every owner to give fowl and livestock adequate weatherproof shelter, and Section 5-4(a)(5)b spells out separate standards for livestock shelters versus dog shelters.
Livestock and Fowl Shelter Rules in Richland County
Some RestrictionsRichland County Code § 5-4(a)(5)b
It shall be unlawful for an owner or custodian to fail to provide its animals with ... Proper shelter. Proper shelter for an animal primarily kept outdoors and unattended includes, but is not limited to: ... Livestock. 1. The shelter should provide protection from heavy rain, snow, and high wind and provide sufficient shade in the summer. 2. The shelter for large livestock and healthy horses an...
Dog Leash Laws
It's unlawful for any animal, not just dogs, to run loose in unincorporated Richland County. Section 5-5 requires every animal to be kept "under restraint or confinement," with narrow exceptions for sterilized cats, dogs at licensed events, and dogs inside a fenced dog park.
Dogs and Animals Running at Large in Richland County
Some RestrictionsRichland County Code § 5-5(a), (d)
It is unlawful for an animal to be at large. All animals must be kept under restraint or confinement and an animal not so restrained or confined will be deemed unlawfully running at large. This section shall not apply to domestic cats that have been sterilized or community cats trapped, sterilized, and returned. ... An animal found running at large may be impounded by an Animal Care Officer and...
Exotic Pets
Richland County bans keeping a long list of wild and dangerous animals as pets. Section 5-13(a) prohibits nonhuman primates, venomous reptiles, wolf-dog hybrids, big constricting snakes, and more, with narrow exceptions for zoos, licensed circuses, veterinary hospitals, and permitted wildlife rescue organizations.
Prohibited Exotic and Wild Animals List
Heavy RestrictionsRichland County Code § 5-13(a)
Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall be unlawful for a person to publicly display or exhibit, sell, keep, harbor, own, or act as custodian of: (1) Non-domestic members of the cat family (Felidae); (2) Wolf-dog hybrids, and/or a animal containing any percentage of wolf; ... (6) Nonhuman primates which include apes, monkeys, baboons, macaques, lemurs, marmosets, tamarins, and other spec...
Cat Rules
In unincorporated Richland County, cats are treated as pets under the animal ordinance: every cat over four months old must have a current county pet license and rabies vaccination, and must wear its tag. New residents get 30 days to license. There is no countywide cat leash law.
Cat Licensing & Rabies Rules in Richland County
Some RestrictionsSC Code 47-5-60
A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Richland County doesn't require every pet to be sterilized, but any animal impounded by Animal Services must be spayed or neutered before it goes home. Section 5-17(b) sets three narrow health, show, and hunting exceptions, and a second impoundment wipes those exceptions out under subsection (f).
Mandatory Spay/Neuter for Impounded Pets
Significant RestrictionsRichland County Code § 5-17(b), (f)
Impounded animals must be spayed or neutered prior to redemption, unless the owner or custodian of the animal can provide: (1) A statement from a licensed veterinarian that the animal, due to health reasons, could not withstand sterilization surgery; (2) Proof of participation in a nationally recognized conformation or performance event occurring within the past twelve (12) months; or (3) Proof...
Pet Store Rules
Richland County doesn't require pet stores to be adoption-only. Section 5-9 bans curbside and public-space animal sales and sales of pets under eight weeks old, but it expressly exempts licensed pet shops, commercial kennels, and licensed rescue organizations from those restrictions.
Where Pet Sales Are Restricted in Richland County
Some RestrictionsRichland County Code § 5-9(a), (c)-(d)
No person shall sell, trade, barter, auction, lease, rent, give away, or display for commercial purpose, an animal, on any roadside, public right-of-way, public property, commercial parking lot, or sidewalk adjacent thereto, or at any flea market, fair, or carnival. ... No person shall sell, offer for sale, or give away a pet under eight (8) weeks of age, except to surrender to a municipal and/...
Wildlife Rescue Permits
A wildlife rehabber can legally hold species the county otherwise bans as pets. Section 5-13(b)(4) exempts a "wildlife rescue organization" from the Section 5-13(a) prohibited-animals list, but only if it holds the appropriate federal, state, or local licenses and permits.
Wildlife Rescue Permit Exemption in Richland County
Light RestrictionsRichland County Code § 5-13(b)(4)
The prohibitions contained in subsection (a) shall not apply in the following circumstances: ... (4) The keeping of such animals by a wildlife rescue organization with appropriate federal, state, and/or local licenses and/or permits obtained from applicable regulatory bodies.
Animal Ordinances by City in Richland County
1 cities in Richland County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Richland County ordinances
See every category we cover for Richland County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
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