Animal Ordinances in Michigan (2026)

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

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…

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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

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…

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

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…

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

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…

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

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…

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…

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…

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

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

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

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…

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…

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…

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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

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…

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

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…

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

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…

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

Animal grooming, training and boarding businesses in the City of Wyoming, Michigan must provide one off-street parking…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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…

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