Animal Ordinances in Shelby County, TN (2026)
5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Shelby County Code Sec. 4-171 makes it unlawful for owners of livestock to willfully allow them to run at large, mirroring Tennessee's Sec. 44-8-401. Owners are liable for damage caused, and where livestock may be kept in the unincorporated county depends on the parcel's zoning district.
Shelby County Livestock Running-at-Large Ban
Some RestrictionsShelby County Code Sec. 4-171
It shall be unlawful for the owners of any livestock, as the same are commonly known and defined, to willfully allow the same to run at large.
Dog Leash Laws
In unincorporated Shelby County, Code Sec. 4-131 makes it unlawful to willfully or negligently let a dog be at large on any public or private property. Sec. 4-2 defines 'animal at large' as any dog running loose without a leash or other restraint.
Shelby County Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsShelby County Code Sec. 4-131(a)
It is unlawful for any owner or keeper of an animal other than a cat to willfully or negligently allow the animal to be at large on any public or private property.
Breed Restrictions
Shelby County has no breed-specific dog ordinance. Sec. 4-2 defines a "dangerous/vicious dog" solely by documented conduct such as biting, attacking, or dog fighting, with no reference to breed, size, or appearance, and the classification process under Sec. 4-101 through Sec. 4-105 applies the same way to every dog in the county.
Shelby County Dog Breed Rules: No Ban, Behavior-Based
Few RestrictionsShelby County Code § 4-2
Dangerous/vicious dog means any dog or animal of the canine family, that, according to records of the appropriate authority: (1) Has aggressively bitten, scratched, attacked, or has otherwise inflicted injury on a human being, breaking the skin and causing the victim to bleed on public or private property; (2) Has severely injured or killed a human being; (3) Has been used primarily, or in part...
Pet Limits
Shelby County's animal Code sets no numeric limit on how many dogs or cats a household may keep in the unincorporated county. Sec. 4-140 authorizes the board to regulate animal numbers, but a code note states no such rules were enacted.
Shelby County Pet Limits (No Numeric Cap)
Few RestrictionsShelby County Code Sec. 4-140
The board may enact reasonable rules and regulations... including... the right to regulate the numbers and types of animals and the conditions under which they may be maintained in residentially zoned areas.
Cat Rules
Shelby County exempts cats from the dog at-large ban (Sec. 4-131), so cats are not required to be leashed. But every cat three months or older must be vaccinated against rabies (Sec. 4-65) and licensed annually (Sec. 4-68), and diseased cats may not be allowed at large.
Shelby County Cat Rules (Vaccinate and License)
Some RestrictionsShelby County Code Sec. 4-68(a)
Any person who owns or keeps in the county a dog or cat three months of age or older shall cause the animal to be licensed annually.
Animal Ordinances by City in Shelby County
1 cities in Shelby County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Shelby County ordinances
See every category we cover for Shelby County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Shelby County Ordinance Hub →