Animal Ordinances in Wicomico County, MD (2026)
9 rules for unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Unincorporated Wicomico County residents may keep poultry for personal use as long as any structural enclosure stays under 256 square feet and meets the district setback in § 225-70; larger, commercial-scale poultry houses trigger far bigger setbacks and, in residential zones, need a Board of Appeals special exception.
Backyard Chickens, Wicomico County
Some RestrictionsWicomico County Code § 225-106
Except as otherwise restricted by this chapter, poultry may be kept, raised, or bred for the use of persons residing on the property, provided that any structural enclosure (not to include fencing) does not exceed 256 square feet, gross floor area. The structural enclosure shall be set back from a property line as prescribed in § 225-70. ... There shall be a minimum four-hundred-foot setback fr...
Dog Leash Laws
In unincorporated Wicomico County, § 133-14 makes it unlawful to let any animal run at large, meaning unleashed on someone else's property or in the traveled portion of a public road. Section 133-13 separately regulates tethering, banning restraints that injure the animal, are too short, lack a swivel, or use a choke collar.
Wicomico County Leash, At-Large Dog Law
Some RestrictionsWicomico County Code §§ 133-13, 133-14
§ 133-13. Tethering. ... B. Prohibited conduct. It is unlawful to tether an animal under circumstances that endanger its health, safety, or well-being, including: ... (4) Using a tether or similar restraint that is less than three times the length of the animal, as measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail; ... § 133-14. Animals at large prohibited. A. It is unlawful to allow an...
Breed Restrictions
Wicomico County has no breed-specific ban; instead § 133-8 lets the county declare any dog 'dangerous' or 'potentially dangerous' based on its conduct, not its breed. A dangerous dog must be confined indoors, in a locked pen, or securely restrained, and muzzled and leashed whenever it leaves, on pain of a misdemeanor with up to a $2,500 fine.
Wicomico County Dangerous Dog Determination Rule
Significant RestrictionsWicomico County Code § 133-8
§ 133-8. Dangerous dogs and potentially dangerous dogs. ... DANGEROUS DOG A dog that: (1) Without provocation has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person; or (2) Is determined by the appropriate unit of the local government under this section to be a potentially dangerous dog and after the determination is made: (a) Bites a person; (b) When not on its owner's real property, kills or infli...
Exotic Pets
Unincorporated Wicomico County adopts Maryland's exotic-pet ban directly into its own code. Section 133-6.A makes it unlawful to bring into the state, possess or breed a fox, skunk, raccoon, bear, alligator, big cat, nonhuman primate, poisonous snake or several other wild species, subject only to the exceptions written into state law.
Wicomico County Bans Wild Animals As Pets
Heavy RestrictionsWicomico County Code § 133-6.A
Subject to certain exceptions contained in state law, a person may not: ... A. Bring into the state, possess or breed a fox, skunk, raccoon, bear, caiman, alligator, crocodile, member of the cat family other than the domestic cat, member of the dog family other than the domestic dog, nonhuman primate (monkey, chimpanzee, etc.), or certain poisonous snakes and various other animals specified in ...
Cat Rules
Unincorporated Wicomico County regulates cats mainly through its trap-neuter-return and nuisance provisions rather than a separate cat-licensing law. Section 133-2 defines a 'community cat' as a sterilized, ear-tipped free-roaming cat, and lets the Animal Control Authority approve organized TNR programs; a female cat in heat left unconfined and unsupervised is a public nuisance under § 133-18.
Wicomico County Community Cat, TNR Rules
Some RestrictionsWicomico County Code §§ 133-2, 133-18, 133-21
COMMUNITY CAT A free-roaming cat that is sterilized and ear-tipped. ... TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN PROGRAM A program approved in writing by the Animal Control Authority for humanely trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating for rabies, ear-tipping, and returning community cats to their original location. ... ... A. It is unlawful to allow an animal to ... become a public nuisance, including to allow: ... (5) ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
In unincorporated Wicomico County, a dog or cat that has not been spayed or neutered does not go home a third time. Under County Code Section 133-17, if the same owner's unaltered dog or cat is impounded twice within 12 months, the Animal Control Authority keeps the animal permanently unless the owner pays for the surgery within one week of notice.
Wicomico County Mandatory Spay-Neuter Rule
Some RestrictionsWicomico County Code § 133-17
C. If a dog or cat, which has not been spayed or neutered, belonging to the same owner is impounded twice within 12 months, the dog or cat must not be released to its owner and will become the property of the Animal Control Authority unless the owner pays for the spaying or neutering of the dog or cat by the Animal Control Authority within one week after notice.
Microchipping
Unincorporated Wicomico County does not require every pet to be microchipped, but it mandates microchipping for animals formally determined potentially dangerous or dangerous under § 133-11, and again at redemption for any impounded animal whose owner has a violation record in the prior year under § 133-16.
Wicomico County Dangerous Animal Microchip Rule
Some RestrictionsWicomico County Code §§ 133-11, 133-16
(e) That the animal be microchipped and that the microchip contain, at minimum, the determination of the animal as potentially dangerous or dangerous. The expense of the microchip shall be paid by the owner. ... (h) The owner to have the animal implanted with a microchip containing owner identification information. The microchip information must be provided to the Animal Control Authority withi...
Pet Store Rules
Wicomico County does not ban retail pet sales; it regulates them. Under County Code Section 133-26, any business selling two or more species of animal to the public as pets must meet minimum sanitation, caging and disease-separation standards and hand every buyer complete medical records for the animal.
Wicomico County Pet Shop and Breeder Rules
Some RestrictionsWicomico County Code § 133-26
A. Pet shops: a person, entity, sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation that sells or offers to sell two or more species of animals to the general public with the intent that they be kept as pets. B. Pet shops and breeders must comply with the following minimum standards: (1) Must not sell or give away puppies or kittens that are under eight weeks of age; ... ... C. A pet shop or breed...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
In unincorporated Wicomico County, veterinary hospitals, animal grooming, kennels and stables are listed as prohibited Type I and Type II home-based businesses under Zoning Code § 225-97(C)(1), meaning a home with no or only one non-resident employee cannot run any of those animal-care operations.
Home Veterinary Business Rules Wicomico
Heavy RestrictionsWicomico County Code § 225-97
Type I and Type II prohibited home-based businesses. Prohibited home-based businesses include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: ... Kennels, stables, veterinary hospitals, animal grooming.
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