Animal Ordinances in Nevada (2026)

Nevada is a fence-out, open-range state. Under NRS 569.440, a livestock owner is liable for trespass only when animals…

Keeping hogs or pigs in Las Vegas requires a special permit from the Animal Regulation Officer, plus at least 25 acres…

Clark County caps how many horses, cattle, goats, chickens and other livestock a property can keep, based on zoning…

In unincorporated Elko County, Nevada, poultry is a domestic animal, and a reasonable number can be kept on a…

Henderson allows up to 10 chickens, ducks, or quail per lot with a detached single-family home, plus separate livestock…

Unincorporated Lyon County, Nevada ties livestock and poultry keeping to lot size under County Code section…

North Las Vegas allows up to four chickens per single-family home under NLVMC § 17.20.030(F)(9), but bans roosters and…

Reno allows up to 12 fowl per lot under its Urban Farm accessory-use standard, which applies by right in every zoning…

Sparks allows backyard hens scaled to lot size, from two hens on lots under 2,000 square feet up to sixteen on parcels…

Poultry and livestock may be kept in unincorporated Washoe County where the Development Code zoning allows it, but in…

Washoe County Code 55.100 requires dogs to be on a leash in public areas within the congested areas of the county…

Clark County bans letting dogs run at large and requires unsterilized dogs to be restrained by leash, fence, cage, or…

In unincorporated Elko County, Nevada, a dog owner must keep the dog restrained at all times: inside a building, behind…

Henderson law requires every dog be confined to its owner's property or kept on a leash under effective control…

Nevada's largest city bans letting a dog roam free off its owner's property: it must be on a leash or lead, or confined…

Lyon County, Nevada makes it unlawful for a dog to stray or run at large on any public street, park or private land…

North Las Vegas makes it unlawful under NLVMC § 6.08.060 for an owner to let any animal run at large or trespass on…

In designated congested areas of unincorporated Washoe County, dogs must be leashed off their owner's premises. Outside…

Nevada law prohibits any local government from adopting or enforcing ordinances that declare a specific breed of dog…

Clark County declares dogs and other animals dangerous or vicious based on documented aggressive behavior, not breed…

Unincorporated Elko County, Nevada defines a dangerous dog by behavior, not breed: a dog with the propensity to bite…

Las Vegas has no breed ban: the Animal Regulation Officer instead declares individual dogs dangerous or vicious based…

Lyon County, Nevada does not ban dogs by breed. Instead, section 7.01.05(A) of the county code lets an owner's own…

Washoe County has no breed-specific dog ban. WCC 55.750 expressly bars finding a dog dangerous or vicious "based solely…

Henderson's dangerous and vicious dog ordinances are behavior-based: a dog cannot be declared dangerous or vicious…

Nevada law makes it unlawful to keep bees in anything other than movable-frame hives, so inspectors can open colonies…

Bees fall under the Urban Farm use in Land Development Code § 18.09.301, which covers bees and up to 12 fowl. Table 3-1…

Clark County requires backyard apiaries to sit at least 400 feet from a neighboring dwelling and 50 feet from any lot…

Henderson caps residential hive boxes by lot size and requires zoning approval before keeping any bees, with flyway…

Sparks allows backyard beekeeping as an accessory use in single-family and multifamily residential zones under…

Nevada takes a negative-list approach to exotic pets. NAC 503.110 bars possession of specific species such as foxes…

Henderson prohibits keeping wild or exotic animals inside city limits unless the owner operates a licensed zoo, holds a…

North Las Vegas bans keeping or publicly exhibiting any wild animal under NLVMC § 6.10.040: a flat prohibition, not a…

Sparks bans harboring wildlife outright: Municipal Code Section 20.03.005(C) makes it unlawful to create or establish a…

Washoe County makes it unlawful to keep, harbor, or feed a bat, skunk, raccoon, fox, coyote, or other high-risk…

Clark County bans keeping exotic or wild animals in unincorporated areas without an animal control permit, and bars…

Owning or exhibiting a wild animal in Las Vegas without a wild animal permit is a misdemeanor. LVMC 7.38.100 bans…

In unincorporated Lyon County, Nevada, Chapter 7.07 of the county code bans importing, transferring, selling, buying…

Nevada Department of Wildlife prohibits feeding big game mammals like deer, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats…

Feeding, capturing, or killing any animal on Clark County-owned or leased property is a misdemeanor, and feeding wild…

Henderson makes it unlawful to feed feral or wild animals capable of carrying rabies, whether on your own property, a…

Las Vegas bans putting out food meant for wild pigeons on any property, public or private, to stop them from lingering…

Reno prohibits feeding waterfowl, birds, or wildlife in city parks except at three designated pond locations, where…

North Las Vegas bars feeding birds, fowl, or other animals in city parks, recreation facilities, and trails: grain…

Sparks Municipal Code Section 20.03.005 makes it unlawful to feed or shelter high-risk wildlife, including coyotes…

Washoe County prohibits keeping, harboring or feeding high-risk rabies vectors -- bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes and…

North Las Vegas criminalizes animal hoarding under NLVMC § 6.12.080, banning anyone from knowingly keeping so many…

In congested areas of unincorporated Washoe County, keeping more than five dogs or seven cats over four months old for…

Unincorporated Clark County caps households at three dogs and three cats over four months old unless a land-use permit…

Henderson households can keep up to three dogs, three cats, and three rabbits, each must be sterilized, with a combined…

Las Vegas limits any single residence to six dogs over three months old and six cats over four months old, with fancier…

In unincorporated Lyon County, no one may keep more than three canine animals over six months old at any one residence…

Clark County exempts sterilized cats from its general at-large law, but requires microchipping, rabies vaccination, and…

In unincorporated Elko County, Nevada, every cat four months of age or older must be inoculated against rabies by a…

Henderson permits community-cat colonies and trap-neuter-vaccinate-return work under Chapter 7.15, exempts feral and…

Cats over 4 months need a City license; a six-cat household cap applies, but registered TNR colonies are exempt from…

Every cat over three months old in North Las Vegas must carry a City license for life, per Municipal Code § 6.08.010…

Cats are exempt from Washoe County's dog leash and at-large rules, so they may roam. However, unspayed female cats may…

Clark County requires cats, dogs, ferrets, pet rabbits and potbellied pigs over four months old to be spayed or…

North Las Vegas requires every dog and cat harbored in the city to be spayed or neutered, per Municipal Code §…

Henderson requires every dog, cat, ferret, rabbit, and potbellied pig over four months old to be spayed or neutered…

Las Vegas requires every dog, cat, ferret, rabbit and potbellied pig over four months old to be spayed or neutered…

Washoe County does not require spay or neuter for pets generally, but a dog formally declared dangerous or vicious must…

Sparks' zoning code counts a Vietnamese potbellied pig as a lawful "domestic household pet" only if it has been spayed…

Unincorporated Elko County, Nevada ties spay and neuter to adoption: anyone adopting a dog or cat from the Animal…

Clark County requires every dog and cat over four months old to be implanted with a microchip, with the owner keeping…

Henderson requires every dog and cat over four months old to carry an implanted microchip, with narrow exceptions for…

Las Vegas requires owners to microchip every dog and cat over four months old and register the chip number with the…

Lyon County Code section 7.07.12, inside the restricted-animal permit chapter, requires every permitted exotic animal…

North Las Vegas doesn't require every pet to carry a microchip, but NLVMC § 6.08.080 makes it a condition of getting an…

In unincorporated Elko County, Nevada, Section 7-3-8 bars anyone from keeping, harboring, caring for, maintaining…

Henderson bans feeding coyotes, foxes, and other urban wildlife capable of carrying rabies, on your own property or…

Las Vegas bans pet shops from selling dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and potbellied pigs; stores may only host…

North Las Vegas bans pet shops from selling, bartering, or giving away dogs, cats, rabbits, or potbellied pigs unless…

Reno pet stores and commercial establishments cannot sell dogs or cats retail. Small breeders under the county's…

In unincorporated Elko County, Nevada, Section 7-2-27 makes it unlawful for any business to keep or board a dog or cat…

Henderson stopped issuing new commercial animal establishment permits for retail sale of dogs, cats, or rabbits; only…

Clark County does not ban retail pet sales or require adoption-only stores. Retailers may sell dogs and cats, but only…

Washoe County does not ban retail pet sales or require pet stores to be adoption-only. Instead, any pet store, kennel…

Clark County requires anyone who grooms, boards, or sells pets in unincorporated areas to hold a business license and…

Henderson's Development Code treats pet grooming as a defined commercial use: facilities must be fully enclosed and…

Pet groomers in Las Vegas must complete a City-approved training course on handling pets before getting or renewing a…

In unincorporated Lyon County, Nevada, any business that grooms animals must first obtain a license from Lyon County…

North Las Vegas outright bans veterinary clinics and other animal-service businesses from operating as a home…

Opening a veterinary hospital, clinic or animal shelter in Las Vegas requires a discretionary Conditional Use or…

Lyon County requires a veterinary hospital or clinic that isn't fully enclosed in a building to sit behind a six-foot…

Clark County's Unified Development Code lets animal hospitals operate in commercial and industrial zones, but ties any…

Henderson requires veterinary clinics and hospitals to enclose all indoor animal areas, ban exterior animal housing…

Reno zoning sets district-specific rules for animal clinics, hospitals, shelters, boarding kennels, and training…

Las Vegas treats feeding wild pigeons on any public or private property as a public nuisance, banning grain, seed…

North Las Vegas declares roosting and lingering wild pigeons a public nuisance and makes it unlawful under NLVMC §…

Feeding wild pigeons on public or residential property is unlawful in unincorporated Clark County: the county code…

Reno bans feeding waterfowl, birds or wildlife in city parks except at three designated spots, and only with food made…

Clark County requires an exotic or wild animal permit from Animal Protection Services to keep or exhibit wildlife, but…