Animal Ordinances in Idaho (2026)

Boise requires at least one acre to keep horses, cows, or other livestock at a home, with tighter rules for poultry and…

Where animals and fowl are allowed on a lot, Bonneville County requires any barn, coop or pen to sit at least 100 feet…

Caldwell allows residents to keep fowl, guineas and poultry only if the birds stay on the owner's own premises inside a…

Unincorporated Canyon County requires livestock owners to keep animals off public roads and other people's property…

Idaho Falls allows up to 12 chickens, quail, ducks, or geese per lot depending on lot size, with coops set back 25 feet…

Idaho's Right To Farm Act shields Kootenai County chicken and livestock keepers from nuisance lawsuits: once an…

Nampa allows up to 10 pet chickens (no roosters) on single-family lots in residential zones, capped at three animal…

Meridian lets residents keep chickens and other livestock citywide, but requires stock-tight fencing, weekly manure…

Idaho Code Section 25-2810 sets uniform statewide standards for declaring dogs dangerous or at-risk and imposes…

In unincorporated Ada County it is an infraction to let a dog run at large. "At large" means off the owner's premises…

Boise requires dogs to be leashed in public and bans letting a dog run at large on city streets, alleys, or private…

Bonneville County Code § 92.06 makes it unlawful for a dog to run at large in unincorporated areas: off the owner's…

Caldwell bans letting any animal, canine or livestock run at large on city streets, alleys or public places, or on…

Unincorporated Canyon County makes it unlawful for a dog to be off its owner's property and out of the owner's control…

Idaho Falls bans dogs at large on streets, sidewalks, parks, and private property without permission: owners face an…

Kootenai County requires dogs off their owner's property to be on a leash no longer than five feet and under control of…

Meridian requires dogs in any public place to be controlled by a leash no longer than six feet, with escalating fines…

Nampa requires dogs in public to be leashed and controllable at all times; a dog found loose on streets, alleys, or…

Idaho Falls has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead, City Code § 5-6-14 classifies individual dogs as 'dangerous' by…

Kootenai County doesn't restrict dog breeds; instead it regulates individual dogs the sheriff declares "dangerous" or…

Meridian does not ban dog breeds; instead animal control officers designate individual dogs as "dangerous" or "at-risk"…

Ada County does not ban any dog breed. Instead of breed labels, county code regulates individual dogs by behavior…

Boise regulates dogs by behavior, not breed: there is no breed-specific ban. A dog is declared dangerous or potentially…

Caldwell does not ban any dog breed by name. Its dangerous-animal definition lists breed as one of several factors…

Idaho requires commercial beekeepers to register apiaries annually with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, and…

Boise allows accessory beekeeping on any residential lot with no minimum parcel size, capped at three colonies per…

Bonneville County allows hobbyist beehives as an accessory residential use in every zoning district, but caps density…

Idaho Falls allows residential beekeeping in side or rear yards only, with hive counts tied to lot size, seven-foot…

Nampa allows beehives only in the AG, RA, RS, IL and IH zones, capping hive counts by lot size and requiring a 25-foot…

Idaho prohibits private possession of designated deleterious exotic animals such as big cats, primates, and Russian…

Boise bans keeping wild and exotic animals as pets under Boise City Code section 5-1-12, listing dozens of species by…

Caldwell bans keeping most wild mammals, dangerous reptiles and agricultural pest insects as pets, including wolves…

Idaho Falls prohibits keeping big cats, bears, wolves, venomous reptiles, primates, and other wild animals or hybrids…

Nampa bans keeping wild animals within city limits unless the animal is registered or licensed by Idaho Fish and Game…

Ada County Code 5-7-4 makes it unlawful to keep a long list of exotic and wild animals - including big cats, wild…

Kootenai County doesn't license or specifically regulate exotic pets itself. Code 5.1.108 instead requires owners of…

Idaho Fish and Game rule IDAPA 13.01.18.200 makes it unlawful to purposely or knowingly provide supplemental feed to…

Ada County's animal chapter does not set a blanket wildlife-feeding ban, but harboring or feeding an animal for 24…

Boise bans feeding wildlife and birds in city parks, including animals confined at Zoo Boise, under the park conduct…

Idaho Code Section 25-3504 criminalizes animal cruelty statewide, and conduct typical of animal hoarding such as…

Ada County sets minimum standards of care and lets Animal Control act against neglect and hoarding. Beyond the…

Boise households may keep up to four dogs or five cats without a permit; more requires a noncommercial kennel license…

Bonneville County caps how many licensed dogs a property can keep without a commercial kennel license. Code §…

Unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho limits an ordinary household to three canines over three months old under Canyon…

Idaho Falls caps dogs at two per dwelling or business property, though owners may apply for an annual permit allowing…

No more than five dogs may be kept on a single Kootenai County parcel without a county kennel license (Code…

Meridian bans owning, keeping, or harboring more than three dogs at a single residence or property, with a narrow…

Nampa caps unlicensed dog ownership at two dogs over six months per dwelling unit; a third dog requires a kennel…

Ada County counts cats toward the four-animal household limit and requires rabies vaccination. An unaltered cat allowed…

Boise bans unspayed cats over 4 months from roaming and lets the Animal Shelter spay, neuter, and release seized feral…

Caldwell caps most households at five pet cats under the zoning code's animal regulations, and a household keeping cats…

Idaho Falls requires cat owners to license and rabies-vaccinate their cats and bars cat nuisances like habitual…

Unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho does not restrict cats from roaming: county code exempts felines, domestic or…

Canyon County doesn't require spaying or neutering up front, but an unsterilized dog impounded a third time must be…

Boise makes it illegal to let a cat four months or older roam the streets or alleys unless it has been spayed or…

Bonneville County does not require every dog to be fixed, but Code § 92.07(B)(4) forces it after two impounds in one…

Idaho Falls requires dogs and cats adopted from the Animal Control Shelter to be spayed or neutered within 30 days, and…

Meridian has no general spay or neuter law; the mandate applies only to dogs the city has formally designated dangerous…

Ada County does not microchip every dog. Chipping only becomes mandatory once an Animal Control Officer formally…

Boise doesn't require microchips for all pets, but any dog ruled dangerous or potentially dangerous must be permanently…

Bonneville County requires an impounded dog to be microchipped before it can be redeemed. Under Code § 92.07(B)(3), the…

Caldwell does not require microchipping outright, but its collar-and-tag law lets a canine skip the required collar and…

Canyon County requires every dog kept in unincorporated territory to wear a durable collar with ownership information…

Idaho Falls bars pet stores and other retail businesses from selling live dogs or cats, permitting sales only of…

Kootenai County does not ban retail pet sales or require adoption-only stores. Instead, any pet shop that regularly…

Boise's zoning code classifies pet grooming shops under the "Animal Daycare or Kennel" land use, which is allowed only…

In unincorporated Ada County, pet grooming is regulated as an accessory use tied to a licensed commercial kennel, not…

In unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho, an "animal hospital" needs a conditional use permit in the Agricultural and…

Veterinary hospitals and clinics need a conditional use permit in unincorporated Kootenai County and are allowed only…

Ada County's zoning Use Table treats veterinary clinics and animal hospitals as a conditional use in the county's rural…

Boise's Development Code treats animal hospitals and veterinary clinics as a distinct land use, permitted outright in…

Bonneville County allows veterinary hospitals as a permitted use in the C-2 General Commercial Zone. No conditional use…

Caldwell zoning splits veterinary uses into a large-animal clinic/hospital category, which needs a Special Use Permit…

Canyon County declares its parks and waterways wildlife sanctuaries. County Code Section 04-01-11(2) makes it strictly…

On the Boise River and surrounding Ada County parks and waterways property, it is unlawful to hunt, harm, or molest any…

Boise bans hunting, harming, feeding, or taking eggs or nests of any bird in city parks, greenbelt, and Zoo Boise…

Caldwell's ban on keeping prohibited wild animals does not apply to a rehabilitator, breeder or exhibitor who holds a…