Animal Ordinances in Story County, IA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Story County, Iowa.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Outside the A-1 and A-2 agricultural districts, unincorporated Story County caps small animals like poultry, fowl and rabbits at one animal per 1,500 net square feet of lot area under Table 88-1, and roosters are prohibited outright. A zoning permit is required before building or altering any coop or enclosure.
Story County Backyard Chicken Density Rule
Some RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 88.18(1), Table 88-1; § 88.18(3)(I)
Non-commercial livestock are limited to the maximum animal densities as shown in Table 88-1. Density ratios shall not exceed the limits of any single category. ... Small animals: poultry, fowl, rabbits, 1/1,500 net square feet of lot area and similar animals* * The keeping of roosters shall be prohibited. ... A zoning permit shall be obtained from the Planning and Development Department prior t...
Dog Leash Laws
Unincorporated Story County requires every animal owner to keep the animal "under control at all times" and makes it unlawful for a dog to run at large, per Code of Ordinances §45.03(1). Story County Animal Control impounds loose dogs, holds them seven days for the owner to reclaim, and can charge the owner criminally or through a civil infraction.
Story County Dogs At-Large Leash Rule
Some RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 45.03(1)
It is the duty of the animal owner to keep his or her animal under control at all times. It is unlawful for an animal to run at large. It is unlawful for an owner to allow his or her animal to cause a disturbance or nuisance. Violations of this section may be charged as a civil infraction or criminal violation.
Breed Restrictions
Story County does not restrict dogs by breed. Instead, Code of Ordinances §45.09 bans harboring or keeping a "vicious dog" in unincorporated Story County, defined by the animal's own conduct, an unprovoked attack, fight training, or a demonstrated tendency to endanger people or animals, not by breed, and a vicious dog found in the county must be secured or impounded.
Story County Vicious Dog Rule, No Breed Ban
Significant RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 45.09
It is unlawful for any person to harbor or keep a vicious dog in the County. As used in this section, “vicious dog” means: ... ... 2. Any dog with a history, tendency, or disposition to attach, to cause injury to, or to otherwise endanger the safety of human beings or domestic animals. ... Any vicious dog that is found in the confines of the County shall either: (i) be kept inside a residence i...
Exotic Pets
Unincorporated Story County requires an annual Animal Control Department license before anyone may own, possess, or have custody of listed exotic animals: venomous snakes, large snakes and reptiles, big cats, bears, wolves, and about two dozen other species under Code of Ordinances §45.10. Holders of a valid Iowa DNR Collector's Permit for captive-bred animals are exempt.
Story County Exotic Animal License Rule
Significant RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 45.10(2)
No person may own, possess, or have custody of any of the following exotic animals unless that person obtains a license for that purpose from the Animal Control Department. ... The exotic animals regulated by this section are: A. Any venomous snake, reptile, scorpion, or insects. B. Any snake with a total length of eight feet or more. C. Any reptile with a total body length of three feet or mor...
Pet Limits
In unincorporated Story County, there is no flat cap of two dogs or three cats per household. The line is drawn at five: once a household keeps or harbors more than five dogs or cats over six months old, county code reclassifies the household as a private kennel, and breeding beyond that number triggers a State or federal license requirement.
Pet and Kennel Limits in Story County
Some RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances §§ 45.02, 45.11
“Private kennel” means any person, excluding any State-licensed kennel, pet shop, veterinary clinic, or any federally licensed kennel which keeps or harbors more than five dogs or cats over six months of age. In the case of someone who wishes to breed dogs or cats, and has over five of any species over six months of age, a State or federal license is required. ... All private breeding kennels s...
Cat Rules
Story County has no stand-alone cat license, but Code of Ordinances §45.06(1) requires every companion cat over four months old to carry a valid rabies vaccination in unincorporated Story County. A cat that bites a person or another animal faces the same up-to-10-day rabies quarantine, at the owner's expense, that applies to dogs.
Story County Cat Rabies Vaccination Rule
Light RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 45.06(1)
1. Dogs and companion cats over the age of four months must have a valid rabies vaccination.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Animal hospitals and veterinary clinics are a principal permitted use in Story County's A-2 Agribusiness District, the zone set aside for uses closely tied to agriculture, but Section 86.05(2)(G) blocks that use on any A-2 parcel scoring 267-300 points on the county's Land Evaluation and Site Assessment system, the very top-tier farmland score the district itself sometimes has to be zoned onto.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Story County
Some RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 86.05(2)(G)
2. Principal Permitted Uses. ... Only the use of structures and/or land listed in this section shall be permitted in the A-2 Agribusiness District. ... ... G. Animal hospitals, and veterinary clinics, provided however, that such uses not be permitted on parcels where the LESA score is 267-300.
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