Animal Ordinances in Michigan (2026)

Michigan's Right to Farm Act preempts local ordinances regulating commercial farms following Generally Accepted…

City Code § 6-66 bars keeping any animal or domestic fowl in Dearborn Heights except dogs, cats, canaries or small…

Detroit prohibits owning, keeping, selling, or transferring any farm animal such as chickens, goats, or horses anywhere…

Sterling Heights' one-family zoning districts (R-60 through R-100) permit agriculture, but Zoning Ordinance Section…

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, keeping chickens, other fowl or farm livestock at a residence is not allowed. City…

Ann Arbor allows up to 6 chickens or ducks per residential property, but only with a City Clerk-issued 6-bird permit…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, hens are allowed on single and two-family residential parcels under Section…

Clinton Township lets residential property owners keep up to four hens, never roosters, under a Building Department…

Dearborn requires a permit from the director of residential services before keeping chickens, pigeons, or other fowl…

Grand Rapids prohibits horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, llamas, and poultry within any dwelling or within 100 feet…

Livonia limits backyard chickens, rabbits, and livestock to the RUF (Rural Urban Farm) District under Zoning Ordinance…

The City of Novi lets residents keep chickens and other non-household-pet animals as an accessory use, but Code Section…

Pontiac bans livestock outright but allows up to three egg-laying hens per property under Zoning Ordinance Section…

The City of Southfield allows up to twelve backyard chickens per property with a city permit, a capped coop size and no…

Troy classifies chickens, geese, ducks, and other fowl or livestock as "domestic animals" and requires an animal permit…

Bay County does not zone or license backyard chickens or livestock, since that falls to the townships and cities, but…

City Code § 6-4 bars keeping any animal or fowl, including backyard chickens, within 175 feet of any dwelling other…

Flint doesn't zone horses, cattle, sheep, or hogs out of residential areas outright, but its nuisance code bans…

Jackson County bars livestock and poultry, defined broadly to include horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and…

In the City of Kalamazoo, keeping chickens is a zoning matter, not an animal-code permit: City Code § 50-4.5D allows…

Kent County does not zone livestock. Whether you may keep horses, cattle, goats, or sheep is set by your city or…

Lansing permits up to five hens on a one- or two-family residential lot, no roosters, ducks, peacocks, turkeys, or…

Oakland County does not zone livestock at the county level: each township or city controls horses, cattle, goats, pigs…

Ottawa County does not license backyard chickens or livestock, but it does ban letting them roam: Section 300.1.6.3…

Rochester Hills lets homeowners keep livestock and poultry without a permit if they meet strict acreage and headcount…

Royal Oak does not ban backyard chickens outright but forbids letting them run at large under § 195-1, and requires a…

Village of Shelby allows backyard poultry on a sliding scale tied to lot size, from four female birds on a…

Warren permits up to four hens per lot in one- or two-family homes, but bans roosters and all other fowl outright…

West Bloomfield Township requires owners of cattle, horses, sheep, swine, poultry and other domestic animals, aside…

Westland permits horses and other equine on residential lots that provide at least a half-acre per animal, keep the…

Michigan's Dog Law of 1919 requires dogs to be licensed and under control. State law mandates leashing or close…

Ann Arbor requires dogs to be leashed, tethered, or confined on the owner's property; a dog not under this 'reasonable…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, an animal can leave its owner's premises only on a leash no longer than eight…

Bay County bans letting a dog run at large, defined as unrestrained wandering off the owner's property or on a leash…

Clinton Township makes it unlawful for any owner to let a dog, or any animal other than a domestic cat, run loose on a…

Dearborn bars dogs from every city park except the Dearborn Dog Park, and requires any dog on a public street or…

City Code § 6-94 bars a dog or animal from running at large anywhere in Dearborn Heights and requires a leash or…

Detroit dog owners must keep dogs on their own property or under a six-foot leash or restraint in public; retractable…

City Code § 6-34 requires every dog to stay confined on its owner's property at all times unless it is on a suitable…

The City of Flint bans dogs from running at large, wandering unrestrained on streets, alleys, parks, or private…

Genesee County Animal Control enforces Michigan's state leash law: dogs may not run at large. Under MCL 287.262, dogs 6…

Grand Rapids bars dogs from city parks and playgrounds unless leashed on a line no longer than 8 feet, and requires…

Jackson County requires owners to keep dogs off public property under control at all times: on a leash no longer than…

City Code § 7-19 makes it unlawful for a Kalamazoo dog owner to let their dog off the owner's premises, including on…

Kent County's Animal Control Ordinance requires every dog off the owner's property to be restrained on a lead or leash…

Lansing prohibits letting a dog run loose off the owner's property; dogs must stay confined or be on a leash held by…

In Muskegon County parks, dogs must stay on a physical leash six feet or less and under the immediate control of a…

In the City of Novi, a dog may not be on a public street, in a park, in a public building, or anywhere the public is…

Under the Michigan Dog Law (MCL 287.262), enforced county-wide by Oakland County Animal Control, no dog may stray from…

Ottawa County's Animal Control Ordinance requires anyone who owns or has custody of a dog to keep it from running at…

Rochester Hills bars any dog from running at large and requires that a dog in a public place, park or building be 'held…

Royal Oak's Dog Ordinance, § 195-16, bars any owner from letting a dog stray beyond the owner's premises unless the dog…

In Royal Oak Township, Michigan, a dog cannot run at large unless it is under the immediate control of its owner or…

Village of Shelby ordinance § 100-4 requires every dog and cat to stay under restraint: confined to the owner's…

In the City of Southfield, owners must keep dogs and cats under reasonable control at all times: either confined to…

Sterling Heights bans letting any dog or other animal run at large on public streets, parks, or another person's…

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, City Code Section 6-10 bars any animal owner from letting the animal run at large or…

Warren dogs must stay confined on the owner's property unless under reasonable control, in a designated off-leash dog…

In West Bloomfield Township, Code Sec. 7-20 requires every dog owner to keep the dog confined on the owner's own…

Westland requires dogs to be licensed, rabies-vaccinated, and leashed anytime they leave the owner's fenced property…

Detroit's Animal Care and Control Division can declare a dog "potentially dangerous," "dangerous," or "vicious" after…

Kalamazoo doesn't regulate dogs by breed. City Code § 7-3 defines a "vicious and dangerous animal" as one that attacks…

Novi has no breed-specific dog ban; instead, City Code Section 5-2 defines a "dangerous or vicious dog" by behavior…

Oakland County does not ban any dog breed. Dangerous-dog determinations are made under MCL 287.321 et seq. based on…

Village of Shelby does not restrict ownership by breed, but § 100-13 imposes strict leash, muzzle, confinement, signage…

The City of Southfield has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead, Code § 9.70 makes it unlawful to harbor a dog the city…

Warren classifies dogs as 'potentially dangerous' or 'dangerous' based on bite severity and aggression rather than…

Bay County does not ban or restrict any dog breed. The county repealed its rebuttable pit-bull presumption in 2011 and…

Clinton Township does not regulate dogs by breed. Instead it lets the animal control officer or a court declare any…

In the City of Dearborn Heights, owners of pit bull dogs, defined by breed under City Code Sec. 6-162, must be at least…

Flint doesn't regulate dogs by breed: instead it declares a dog 'vicious' based on bite history or dangerous behavior…

Jackson County has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead its Animal Control Ordinance classifies any dog by documented…

Rochester Hills is explicitly breed-neutral: Code § 14-48(b) says no dog can be found dangerous 'solely because it is a…

Royal Oak does not restrict any dog breed by name. Instead, § 195-24 lets the Animal Control Officer classify any…

Royal Oak Township, Michigan, bans owning or harboring a fierce or vicious dog, a dog that has bitten a person or…

Sterling Heights doesn't ban dog breeds. Animal control declares a dog 'potentially dangerous' or 'dangerous' based on…

West Bloomfield Township does not ban or restrict any dog breed. Instead, Sec. 7-16 defines a 'dangerous dog' by what…

Westland doesn't ban breeds by name: it declares a dog 'vicious or dangerous' by behavior and imposes registration…

Battle Creek, Michigan names no breed in its dangerous animal rules. Section 608.29 classifies an animal as potentially…

Dearborn does not ban or restrict dogs by breed. City Code § 4-27 defines "dangerous" and "vicious" dogs by their…

Genesee County has no breed-specific ban. Michigan regulates dangerous dogs by behavior, not breed, under MCL 287.321…

Kent County doesn't regulate dogs by breed; instead its Animal Control Ordinance bans letting any dog or animal menace…

In the City of Pontiac, City Code § 18-53 bans harboring or keeping a dangerous dog, defined by behavior in § 18-1, not…

Saginaw County does not single out any dog breed. Ordinance #110 instead regulates any dog that bites: the owner must…

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, dangerous-dog rules turn on behavior, not breed. City Code Sec. 6-52 makes it unlawful…

Ann Arbor's dangerous-animal definition expressly excludes breed as a factor: City Code § 9:45(2) says an animal is not…

Michigan sets no statewide beekeeper license or registration. Under the Apiary Law, 1976 PA 412, MDARD runs voluntary…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, honey bees must be kept in the rear yard at least 30 feet from adjacent property…

Grand Rapids requires a City Manager permit before keeping bees, limits placement to the rear yard at least 25 feet…

In the City of Pontiac, City Code § 18-8 bars anyone from owning or keeping a beehive with live bees within 200 feet of…

Wyoming, Michigan (Kent County) bars keeping bees on any lot or premises with a dwelling unless the code official has…

Ann Arbor caps residential beekeeping at 2 hives or stands per property citywide: no permit needed below that limit…

The City of Southfield allows beekeeping under Code § 9.76(3), but hives must sit outside the front yard and at least…

Sterling Heights requires a hobby beekeeping permit from the City Clerk before installing hives, and residential hives…

Royal Oak has no separate beekeeping permit or hive-setback ordinance; bees fall under the City's general pet-nuisance…

Michigan's Large Carnivore Act prohibits private ownership of big cats and bears statewide. The Wolf-Dog Cross Act bans…

Section 610.06 of Clinton Township's Code bans possessing, breeding or selling a list of exotic or wild animals, from…

Dearborn outlaws keeping exotic, wild, or dangerous animals within city limits, naming hedgehogs, skunks, raccoons…

City Code § 6-67 bans keeping any poisonous reptile in Dearborn Heights outright and bars keeping or selling a wild or…

Detroit prohibits owning, keeping, or selling any wild animal or farm animal within city limits, with narrow exceptions…

Flint bans keeping wild, exotic, dangerous, or venomous animals as pets citywide, including primates, raccoons, foxes…

Grand Rapids Code Compliance treats any animal that is not on the domestic or farm-animal lists, including reptiles…

Jackson County bans keeping lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cougars, panthers, cheetahs, or bears as pets by making…

In the City of Kalamazoo it's unlawful to keep any exotic or wild animal under City Code § 7-7, unless you're a zoo…

Lansing bans keeping wild animals in any residential zoning district under Section 1250.02.04(c) of the Zoning Code…

Livonia outlaws keeping any wild animal, snake or bird on a property in the city if the creature is inherently…

The City of Novi bans owning or keeping a "dangerous animal" in the city, a term City Code Section 5-2 defines to…

Michigan's Large Carnivore Act (MCL 287.1101 et seq.) bans private ownership of lions, tigers, cougars, leopards…

In the City of Pontiac, City Code § 18-6 makes it unlawful to sell, keep, possess or maintain wild, undomesticated or…

The City of Royal Oak bans keeping, harboring or possessing nondomestic animals in any residential area under City Code…

Village of Shelby bans keeping lions, tigers, bears, wolves, apes, large monkeys, alligators and other dangerous wild…

In the City of Southfield, it's a misdemeanor under Code § 9.70 to harbor or keep any exotic, wild or otherwise…

Sterling Heights outlaws owning, breeding, or selling exotic or wild animals, including big cats, primates, venomous…

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, wild or exotic animals cannot be kept in any household or kennel. City Code Sec…

Warren bans owning, possessing, breeding, buying, selling or harboring any dangerous or exotic animal. Only…

Westland bans keeping any wild or exotic animal within city limits and bans their sale too, unless the seller is a pet…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, no one can keep a wild animal on their property without all State and Federal…

Ottawa County bans keeping any exotic animal that is objectively a hazard to the community because of a threat to…

Troy requires anyone who wants to keep a wild or dangerous animal, other than a dog, cat, or small house pet, to first…

In Wyoming, Michigan (Kent County), Code § 50-171(a) makes it a misdemeanor to possess, keep or handle any wild animal…

Michigan law bans keeping large carnivores (big cats, bears) and wolf-dog hybrids as pets, with narrow grandfathered…

Michigan DNR prohibits baiting and feeding of free-ranging deer and elk in the Lower Peninsula due to chronic wasting…

In the City of Dearborn Heights it is unlawful to feed wild animals or leave food on the ground where raccoons, skunks…

City Code §§ 6-10 and 6-11 make it a civil infraction to feed pigeons, gulls, or Canada geese in groups of six or more…

Dearborn declares feeding pigeons or ground-feeding any bird a nuisance per se, no case-by-case finding required: a…

Detroit bans feeding wild birds except from feeders elevated at least 48 inches, and bars non-owners from feeding stray…

Livonia's public land ordinance bars feeding, frightening, capturing, hunting, injuring, or trapping any wild or…

In the City of Pontiac, City Code § 18-18(d) makes it unlawful to feed any wild animal anywhere in the city, defining…

Village of Shelby makes it a violation to feed wild animals, stray cats or stray dogs anywhere in the village. Section…

In the City of Southfield, it is unlawful to place food low enough or in a form that deer can reasonably be expected to…

Warren makes it unlawful to feed wild animals anywhere in the city, including raccoons, rodents, geese and pigeons, and…

Westland bans feeding wildlife on any private or public property and treats ground-feeding as a nuisance per se under…

Ann Arbor bans placing grain, fruit, salt licks or other edible material where it's likely to attract deer, with…

Rochester Hills bars placing food, bait or salt within five feet of the ground where it may reasonably attract deer…

In the City of Royal Oak, Section 587-9 of the Rodent Control chapter prohibits feeding wild birds except through an…

To curb rodent infestation, Sterling Heights' Property Maintenance Code amendments require every container used to feed…

In Wyoming, Michigan (Kent County), Code § 50-171(d) makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly feed wild animals other than…

Michigan's animal cruelty law universally applies to hoarding situations involving inadequate care. Penalties escalate…

Dearborn treats keeping more animals than a property can reasonably support as a nuisance in itself, judged case by…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, no one can keep more than three dogs or five cats on the same or adjacent…

Bay County does not cap the number of pets a household may keep for its own use, but it draws the line at three or more…

Clinton Township's Code of Ordinances caps every residential, commercial or industrial property at four dogs or cats…

City Code § 6-91 caps residential pet ownership in Dearborn Heights at three animals over four months old per…

Detroit limits residents to two animals of the same species over four months old per single residence, a cap enacted in…

Section 6-36 caps most Farmington Hills households at three dogs and three cats six months or older at any one time…

Genesee County sets no countywide cap on how many pets you may own. Pet-number limits are set by individual cities and…

City Code § 7-24 caps Kalamazoo households at three dogs at a time on any dwelling unit or its surrounding lot unless…

Kent County sets no general household pet cap, but any establishment keeping three or more dogs for sale, boarding…

Lansing allows household pets like dogs, cats, fish, birds, and hamsters as an accessory use in every zoning district…

In the City of Pontiac, City Code § 18-46 limits any one property to three dogs age six months or older, unless the…

Rochester Hills caps common household pets, such as dogs and cats, at three of any one species per home before the…

In Royal Oak Township, Michigan, no one can willfully or knowingly have or possess more than three cats, six months of…

Village of Shelby caps how many dogs and cats a household may keep outside a licensed kennel, veterinary clinic or…

In the City of Southfield, no one may own, harbor, possess, or keep more than three dogs or six cats over six months…

Sterling Heights caps households at four animals older than four months under Code § 8-31, with exceptions for young…

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, a household cannot keep more than three domestic animals age four months or older…

Warren caps most households at five total animals, with no more than three cats over six months old and no more than…

Westland caps unlicensed pet-keeping at three dogs or three cats per household; harboring more without a kennel license…

Wyoming, Michigan (Kent County) caps household pets at three dogs and three adult cats per premises under Code of…

In the City of Dearborn Heights, feeding feral or stray cats without prior approval from the director of animal control…

Ann Arbor requires every cat older than 6 months to be currently immunized against rabies at all times; an unvaccinated…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, anyone who owns, harbors or keeps a cat over six months old needs a license from…

Bay County requires every cat four months or older to be licensed and to wear a collar with an approved identifying…

Clinton Township directs community cat colonies into Macomb County's Trap-Neuter-Return program under Section…

Detroit limits any residence to two animals of the same species over four months old, covering cats, and unlike dogs…

City Code § 7-34 makes it unlawful to harbor more adult cats, meaning cats over six months old, than can be cared for…

In Royal Oak Township, Michigan, no one can willfully or knowingly let a cat run at large, and no one can keep cats so…

In the City of Southfield, every cat over six months old needs a valid city license, worn on a breakaway collar, under…

Sterling Heights requires every cat within city limits to be under its owner's control or confined to the owner's…

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, City Code Section 6-80 requires every cat six months or older to be licensed within…

Warren requires cats over four months old to be confined or under control at all times, caps households at three adult…

Westland lets a household keep up to three cats over four months old; a fourth cat, just like a fourth dog, triggers…

Livonia does not license or restrict cats by ordinance, but every cat owner must remove excrement the animal deposits…

Novi's Code of Ordinances does not create a separate cat-licensing or feral-colony program. Chapter 5's definitions…

Rochester Hills has no cat-specific licensing or leash chapter. Cats fall under the chapter 14 definition of 'animal,'…

Warren does not require spay/neuter for pets generally, but a dog judicially found potentially dangerous must be spayed…

Section 608.14(d) in the City of Battle Creek, Michigan ties sterilization to impoundment. On a third or subsequent…

Clinton Township has no general spay/neuter mandate for pet dogs and cats, but it does impose one narrow requirement…

Dearborn requires owners of dogs formally declared "dangerous" to have them spayed or neutered and microchipped within…

Dogs and cats adopted from the Jackson County Animal Shelter must be sterilized within 30 days of adoption or by six…

Village of Shelby does not require pet owners in general to spay or neuter their animals, but § 100-6(B) bars the…

Sterling Heights has no citywide spay/neuter law, but a dog animal control has classified 'potentially dangerous,' if…

Detroit does not require pet owners citywide to spay or neuter dogs or cats. The mandate applies only to animals issued…

Warren has no general microchip requirement for pets, but a dog found potentially dangerous by the court must be…

Westland requires microchipping only for dogs already declared vicious or dangerous, plus $100,000 liability insurance…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, an impounded animal must be microchipped before the owner can redeem it, unless…

Every animal impounded by Macomb County Animal Control must be microchipped and vaccinated before release, at the…

Dearborn does not require every dog to be microchipped, but its dog-licensing scheme in City Code Sec. 4-23 builds…

Sterling Heights doesn't microchip every pet, but a dog animal control has classified 'potentially dangerous' must…

Detroit does not require dog owners to microchip their pets. Animal Care and Control may implant chips in licensed dogs…

Royal Oak does not require microchipping of ordinary pets. It only requires it, as an alternative to a tattoo, for a…

West Bloomfield Township has no general pet-microchipping mandate. The only ID requirement sits in Sec. 7-22(f)(1): a…

Ann Arbor bars pet stores from selling or transferring dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, long-lived birds, or large…

Clinton Township bars pet stores from selling dogs, cats, rabbits, long-lived birds, or large reptiles. Stores may only…

City Code § 195-36 makes it unlawful for any retail pet store in Royal Oak to sell or offer for sale a dog, cat, rabbit…

Westland bans selling or dyeing baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl and rabbits as novelty pets, though breeders and…

Detroit licenses pet shops rather than banning retail sales of dogs and cats. Chapter 6, Article VII sets facility…

Troy zones commercial dog grooming under its Section 2.02 definition of a Commercial Kennel, which folds grooming…

Detroit requires animal-grooming shops to operate inside a fully enclosed, soundproof building and eliminate odors…

In the City of Kalamazoo, a pet grooming business is zoned under the "Sales and Grooming" use, part of the Animal…

In the City of Royal Oak, dog grooming facilities are a permitted personal service use in the Neighborhood Business…

Wyoming's zoning ordinance names animal grooming in one place: Table 90-600 requires 1 off-street parking space for…

A pet grooming shop in Taylor that only grooms and trains dogs, without boarding them overnight, does not need a kennel…

Clinton Township treats pet grooming as a permitted retail service use, not a special land use. Zoning Code Section…

Veterinary clinics need conditional-use approval in every Commercial Mixed-Use district in Lansing, and must operate…

Livonia allows veterinary clinics, animal clinics, and animal hospitals as a discretionary waiver use in the RUF, C-1…

In the City of Royal Oak, a veterinary office or hospital cannot open by right in the Office Service or Neighborhood…

Sterling Heights, Michigan allows veterinary offices and clinics as a special-approval use in the C-1 Local Convenience…

Troy's Zoning Ordinance defines a veterinary hospital under Section 2.02 as any facility a licensed veterinarian…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, a kennel or veterinary use must enclose every outdoor run and breeding area on…

Clinton Township's Zoning Code lists veterinary clinics and hospitals, including facilities for overnight keeping of…

Dearborn's Zoning Ordinance gives veterinary clinics and veterinary hospitals separate site standards under Article…

In the City of Dearborn Heights, City Code Sec. 36-173 sets the zoning standards a veterinary clinic must follow. The…

Detroit requires small-animal veterinary clinics to operate entirely inside a soundproof, enclosed building, control…

Flint's zoning code permits animal hospitals and veterinary clinics outright in the D-6 general and highway…

In Grand Rapids' Mixed-Use Commercial Zone Districts, opening a veterinary clinic or hospital, including one that…

Kalamazoo's Zoning Ordinance splits animal medical care into two distinct uses at Kalamazoo City Code § 12.3…

In the City of Pontiac, a veterinary hospital or clinic must keep outdoor animal runs or holding areas at least 50 feet…

Veterinary hospitals and clinics in Rochester Hills must run entirely inside a fully enclosed building, and in the NB…

In the Charter Township of Royal Oak, Michigan, veterinary clinics and hospitals are special land uses that must meet…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 5.103(13) allows veterinary clinics and hospitals as a permitted use in the…

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, a veterinary clinic must keep animal housing and exercise areas at least 100 feet from…

In Warren's C-2 General Business District, Section 14.01(c) of the zoning ordinance lists veterinary clinics and dog…

Westland's zoning ordinance permits veterinary clinics by right in most commercial districts but excludes overnight…

Wyoming, Michigan allows veterinary hospitals and clinics as a principal permitted use in its B-1 Local Business…

In the City of Dearborn Heights, feeding pigeons, gulls, or doves on public or commercial property is outright illegal…

Grand Rapids makes it illegal to cruelly treat, abuse, or poison any bird within city limits, extending the same…

In the City of Pontiac, City Code § 18-13 makes it unlawful to hunt for, pursue, kill or destroy any bird known as a…

Rochester Hills makes it unlawful to injure, capture or kill any bird, using traps, snares, nets, poison or similar…

In the City of Southfield, molesting, injuring, killing or capturing any wild bird, or disturbing its nest, is a…

Westland's city code bans hunting, harming, or killing any wild bird, animal, or reptile in city parks, and forbids…

It is unlawful in Clinton Township to intentionally or negligently injure, molest, or disturb birds, their nests, eggs…

Detroit bans feeding wild birds except from a feeder that only birds can reach, mounted at least 48 inches above ground…

City of Taylor, Michigan parks protect wild birds from harm under Sec. 34-81 of the city code. It's unlawful to hunt…

Warren bans confining wild animals like raccoons, opossums, and deer anywhere in the city, but carves out an exception…