Animal Ordinances in Nebraska (2026)
35 rules on the books across Nebraska, 5 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Chickens & Livestock
Combined rules for keeping chickens and other livestock such as goats, rabbits, and ducks on residential property, including lot size requirements.
Nebraska: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsUnder Nebraska's herd law, owners of cattle, horses, mules, swine, sheep, and goats are liable for all damage their…
Read full rule →Lincoln
Significant RestrictionsLincoln requires a permit to keep chickens, fowl, rabbits, or large animals like horses and goats, caps how many you…
Read full rule →Douglas County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Douglas County, a residential lot can keep one horse, llama, or hoofed animal on a fenced two-acre…
Read full rule →Lancaster County
Some RestrictionsKeeping livestock inside Lincoln is limited to permitted small fowl and small animals; larger livestock generally…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha caps backyard flocks at ten hens, bans roosters outright, and requires coops to sit at least 30 feet from…
Read full rule →Dog Leash Laws
When and where dogs must be on a leash, off-leash park rules, leash length limits, and penalties for dogs running loose.
Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln bans letting any animal except pigeons run loose or at large citywide, and Animal Control can impound it or, if…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha bans letting a dog run loose on public streets or someone else's property; owners must keep dogs on a leash, in…
Read full rule →Breed Restrictions
Bans or special requirements for specific dog breeds, including breed-specific legislation, muzzle requirements, and insurance mandates.
Omaha
Significant RestrictionsOmaha requires pit bulls to be muzzled and leashed in public, defines the breed by name and traits, and mandates…
Read full rule →Lancaster County
Some RestrictionsLincoln and Lancaster County do not ban any dog breed. Regulation is behavior-based: a dog can be declared dangerous or…
Read full rule →Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln has no breed ban. LMC Chapter 6.10 uses a behavior-based dangerous and potentially dangerous dog declaration…
Read full rule →Sarpy County
Some RestrictionsNo Sarpy County city bans a dog breed. Bellevue considered an Omaha-style pit-bull muzzle law in 2021 and voted it…
Read full rule →Douglas County
Few RestrictionsUnincorporated Douglas County has no breed-specific legislation. Nebraska state law governs dangerous dogs; no…
Read full rule →Beekeeping
Rules for keeping bees in residential areas, including hive placement, number of colonies allowed, and registration requirements.
Nebraska: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsNebraska does not license backyard beekeeping, but the Nebraska Apiary Act makes it unlawful to knowingly keep…
Read full rule →Omaha
Significant RestrictionsOmaha requires a $10 permit from the Douglas County health director to keep bees, with hives banned within 25 feet of…
Read full rule →Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln caps hives at one per 1,500 square feet and requires a 50-foot setback from neighboring dwellings unless a…
Read full rule →Exotic Pets
Which non-traditional pets are allowed or banned, such as reptiles, ferrets, potbelly pigs, and other exotic animals.
Nebraska: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsNebraska law prohibits keeping wolves, skunks, bears, and most non-domestic cats statewide regardless of city…
Read full rule →Lincoln
Heavy RestrictionsLincoln prohibits owning, keeping, or harboring any unusual or wild animal within city limits, with narrow exemptions…
Read full rule →Omaha
Heavy RestrictionsOmaha bans owning or keeping any nondomestic animal, including anything that has reverted to a wild state or any wolf…
Read full rule →Pet Limits
Maximum number of cats, dogs, or other companion animals allowed per household, including counts that trigger kennel-license requirements.
Nebraska: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsNebraska's animal cruelty law applies uniformly across all cities and counties. Hoarding cases are prosecuted under the…
Read full rule →Lincoln
Significant RestrictionsOnce a Lincoln household qualifies as a multi-dog or multi-cat household, a Director permit is mandatory, and even…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha caps most households at three dogs and five cats over four months old, a direct limit on backyard hoarding…
Read full rule →Cat Rules
Rules specific to cats, outdoor roaming, feral cat colonies, leash laws (yes, some cities require them), and licensing requirements.
Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln requires every cat over six months old to be licensed and rabies-vaccinated, caps ownership at five cats…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha requires every cat over 16 weeks to carry an annual city license, but exempts caretakers holding a feral cat…
Read full rule →Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Requirements that dogs and cats over a certain age be sterilized, with intact-animal permits, exemptions for breeders, and penalties for noncompliance.
Omaha
Significant RestrictionsOmaha requires owners of judicially or administratively declared dangerous or potentially dangerous animals to have…
Read full rule →Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln requires proof of surgical sterilization, or a secured deposit, before Animal Control releases any dog or cat…
Read full rule →Microchipping
Mandates that dogs and cats be microchipped before leaving a shelter or by a certain age, including registration and tag requirements.
Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln requires owners of dogs declared dangerous or potentially dangerous to have the dog microchipped by a licensed…
Read full rule →Omaha
Light RestrictionsOmaha lets dog and cat owners implant a microchip instead of wearing the license tag, but the number must be filed with…
Read full rule →Pet Store Rules
Restrictions on retail pet sales, including bans on commercially bred dogs and cats and rescue-only sourcing requirements.
Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln allows pet shops to sell dogs and cats but requires an $85 annual permit, biannual inspections, and bans…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha licenses pet shops and lets them sell dogs and cats, but bars sale of any under eight weeks old and requires a…
Read full rule →Pet Groomer Rules
Health and safety standards for commercial pet grooming, including animal-handling certifications, sanitation, and zoning where mobile groomers may operate.
Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln requires a Director-issued permit before operating any pet shop or groom shop, backed by mandatory sanitation…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha's plumbing code requires every pet grooming shop, kennel, animal shelter, and boarding facility to install a…
Read full rule →Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Where veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, and emergency animal-care facilities may be located, including overnight-boarding and noise buffers.
Lincoln
Significant RestrictionsLincoln requires veterinary facilities and kennels operating as special permit uses to get Planning Commission…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha's zoning code makes veterinary hospitals and pet clinics their own commercial use type: permitted outright in…
Read full rule →Bird Protection
Local rules protecting specific bird species (LAMC §53.55), including penalties for trapping or harming protected species and bird-safe building design.
Wildlife Rescue Permits
CDFW and city permits required to rehabilitate injured wildlife, including the Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit program and approved holding facilities.