Animal Ordinances in Rock Island County, IL (2026)
9 rules for unincorporated Rock Island County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In the SE-1 Suburban Estates Low Density District of unincorporated Rock Island County, livestock must be kept at least 100 feet from any residentially zoned private property, one of the features distinguishing SE-1 from the county's other suburban and residential districts.
Rock Island County Livestock Setback Rule
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 154.131(B)
The following are permitted uses in the SE-1 District: (A) Farm; (B) Livestock not less than 100 feet from residentially zoned private property; (C) Nursery or greenhouse; (D) Structure for storage or treatment of seeds; (E) Roadside stand selling products grown on premises; (F) Dwelling, single-family detached (one per tax parcel); and (G) Any other similar uses deemed to be consistent by the ...
Dog Leash Laws
Rock Island County bans letting any dog, cat, or other animal run at large anywhere in the unincorporated county, whether on public property or someone else's private land. County Animal Control staff or their representatives may apprehend and impound animals found roaming free and not under an owner's control, since the code itself calls loose animals a public nuisance.
Rock Island County Leash & At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 91.065
(A) The owner of any dog, cat, or other animal shall not permit such animal to run at large within the county. (B) No person shall cause or permit any animal owned by him or her to run at large on any public place or on any privately owned premises, other than the owner's. (C) Whenever the Administrator or Deputy Administrator, or his or her authorized representative, observes or is informed th...
Breed Restrictions
Rock Island County has no breed ban: Sec. 91.051 expressly bars classifying vicious dogs by breed. Instead, dogs are declared dangerous or vicious through an individualized investigation and hearing process based on the specific dog's behavior, not its breed.
Rock Island County Dangerous/Vicious Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 91.051(B)(2)
No dog shall be deemed vicious if it is a professionally trained dog for law enforcement or guard duties. Vicious dogs shall not be classified in the manner that is specific as to breed.
Cat Rules
Cats four months or older in unincorporated Rock Island County must be vaccinated against rabies and registered annually, cost $10 altered or $50 unaltered, and cannot run at large. Feral cat colony caretakers enrolled in trap-neuter-return programs are exempted from the legal definition of OWNER.
Rock Island County Cat Licensing and At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 91.021
Every owner of a dog or cat four months or more in age shall register such dog or cat and pay an annual registration fee for said dog or cat to the County Animal Control Office, as established in the State Animal Control Act (510 ILCS 5/8 et seq.).
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Rock Island County does not require spay/neuter for pets generally, but a dog declared dangerous must be spayed or neutered within 14 days at the owner's expense, a vicious dog within ten days, and the county waives an impound redemption fine for any first-time impounded pet fixed within 14 days.
Rock Island County Dangerous-Dog Spay/Neuter Order
Significant RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 91.050(C)(1)
If deemed dangerous, the Administrator, or his or her designee, or the Director shall order: (a) The dog's owner to pay a $50 public safety fine to be deposited into the Pet Population Control Fund; (b) The dog to be spayed or neutered within 14 days at the owner's expense and micro chipped, if not already;
Microchipping
Rock Island County does not require every pet to be microchipped, but it charges a $15 microchip fee at impoundment, scans every stray on arrival, and forces owners of dogs declared dangerous or vicious to get the dog microchipped within 14 or 10 days.
Rock Island County Microchip Fee and Mandates
Light RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 91.008
Boarding (per day) $10; Impoundment fee (licensed) $25; Impoundment fee (not licensed) $50; Microchip $15; Rabies vaccination $15
Pet Store Rules
Rock Island County does not ban retail pet sales, but it does force pet shop operators, dog dealers, kennels, catteries, shelters, and foster homes to report every sale, adoption, and fostering of a dog or cat to the county Animal Control Administrator, including microchip numbers and litter counts.
Rock Island County Pet Shop Reporting Duty
Light RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 91.004
Any person, dog dealer, kennel operator, cattery operator, animal shelter, foster home, or pet shop operator selling, adopting, or fostering dogs or cats or keeping registries of dogs or cats shall cooperate and provide information to the Administrator including sales, adoptions, source, dispositions, number of litters, microchip numbers, and ownership of dogs or cats.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
A veterinary clinic or animal hospital in unincorporated Rock Island County's AG-2 General Agricultural District needs a special use permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals; it is not a by-right use, so operators must go through a discretionary hearing before opening.
Rock Island County Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rule
Significant RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 154.113(O)
The following are special uses in the AG-2 District when authorized: ... (O) Kennels, animal hospitals, veterinary clinics; (P) Landscape contractors; (Q) Large wind energy system;
Bird Protection
Rock Island County's Forest Preserve District bans hunting, trapping, molesting, poisoning, wounding, or killing any bird, along with mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, on District land without the District's written permission, folding bird protection into the county's broader wildlife-destruction ban at § 92.02(B)(3).
Rock Island County Bird Protection Rule
Significant RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 92.02(B)(3)
Hunt, pursue, trap, capture, catch, molest, poison, wound, or kill, or attempt to hunt, trap, capture, catch, molest, poison, wound, or kill any invertebrate animal, mammal or bird, or reptile or amphibian without written permission of the District;
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