Animal Ordinances in Ohio (2026)

Ohio law shields qualifying agricultural operations from local livestock nuisance suits, but cities retain zoning…

Lakewood allows up to six female chickens (hens) by annual permit in R1 and R2 residential districts, with a citywide…

Parma outlaws keeping chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, or any other fowl, and separately bans horses, mules, cattle…

Akron flatly bans keeping chickens or other poultry within 100 feet of any dwelling, and bans keeping horses, cows…

Butler County has no countywide livestock ordinance. In unincorporated areas, township zoning (ORC Ch. 519) governs…

Cincinnati's zoning code lets residential lots keep chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats and other livestock as an "Animal…

Cleveland allows chickens, ducks, and rabbits in residential districts at one animal per 800 square feet of lot, up to…

Backyard chickens, ducks and rabbits are allowed on unincorporated Franklin County residential lots under five acres…

Lima prohibits keeping farm animals or fowl inside the city unless the owner has at least two acres of land where they…

Medina allows chickens, ducks, rabbits and similar animals in residential districts at one bird per 800 square feet of…

The county sets no countywide chicken or livestock rule for incorporated areas. In townships, Ohio's agricultural…

Stark County itself does not zone for backyard livestock; your township (under ORC Chapter 519) or city sets the rules…

Toledo Municipal Code 1705.11 lets any single-family household keep up to six hens without a permit, but bans roosters…

Dayton lets residents keep geese, ducks, chickens and other animals but bans letting them run loose in streets or…

Ohio law universally requires dog owners to keep dogs confined or under reasonable control at all times, with…

Akron requires dogs to be on a leash or under direct control when off the owner's property. Dogs running at large…

All dogs in Canal Winchester must be kept on a leash or under direct physical control when off the owners property. The…

Euclid requires dogs to be leashed or under physical control whenever off the owner's property, per C.O. 505.01 and ORC…

Grove City and Franklin County require dogs to be physically restrained at all times when off the owner's property. ORC…

Lakewood requires all dogs to be leashed when off owner property under LCO 505.08 and ORC 955.22. Leash must be held by…

Parma requires all dogs to be leashed or under physical control when off the owner's property under Codified Ordinance…

Toledo enforces strict leash requirements under TMC Chapter 505 and ORC 955.22. Dogs must be on a physical leash under…

Westerville requires all dogs to be leashed or under physical restraint when off owner's property under CO 505.01 and…

Ohio law (enforced by the Butler County Dog Warden) bars dogs from running at large. Owners must keep a dog confined on…

Cincinnati requires every dog owner, keeper, or harborer to keep the dog physically confined on the owner's premises by…

Cleveland requires dogs to be leashed or confined. ORC §951.02 makes owners liable for dogs running at large. Dog…

Columbus dogs must stay leashed or under direct control off their owner's property, and can never run at large under…

Dayton requires dogs off their owner's property to be on a hand-held leash no longer than six feet at all times, and…

Dublin requires dogs to be leashed or under reasonable control at all times off the owner's property under ORC 955.22…

Statewide Ohio law (ORC 955.21) enforced countywide by Hamilton County Dog Wardens requires every dog owner to keep the…

Lima requires every dog off its owner's property to be on a leash no greater than 20 feet in public places or on…

Ohio law requires every dog to be physically confined to the owner's property or kept under reasonable control at all…

Ohio law (ORC 955.21) requires every dog to be physically confined on the owner's premises by leash, fence, or…

Medina bars owners from letting a dog run at large or leave its owner's premises unleashed. A dog must stay confined…

Ohio law (ORC 955.22(C)) requires dogs to be kept confined on the owner's premises or under reasonable control at all…

Ohio law requires every dog to be physically confined or restrained on the owner's premises, or kept under a person's…

Summit County requires every dog owner, keeper, or harborer to keep the dog physically confined on the owner's premises…

Ohio repealed automatic pit bull dangerous classification in 2012, requiring individual behavioral assessment…

Dayton has no breed-specific dog law; instead it regulates by behavior, requiring any dog classified 'dangerous' under…

Ohio removed statewide breed-specific language in 2012 (HB 14). However, home-rule cities may still enact local breed…

Ohio HB 14 (2012) removed breed-specific state law. Euclid regulates dangerous dogs by behavior under C.O. 505.14 and…

As of April 2018 Lakewood repealed its pit-bull ban and no longer has any breed-specific legislation. All dogs are…

Lima specifically regulates pit bulls: off the owner's premises they must be securely leashed (max 6 feet) and muzzled…

Ohio has no breed-specific ban. Since 2012, pit bulls and other breeds are no longer automatically labeled vicious. A…

Parma does not impose breed-specific legislation; the city follows Ohio's behavior-based dangerous dog framework under…

No. Ohio abolished breed-specific 'pit bull' designations in 2012. A dog is classified as nuisance, dangerous, or…

Akron does not enforce breed-specific legislation. Ohio repealed its statewide pit bull designation in 2012. Dogs are…

Cleveland does not have a breed-specific dog ban. In 2012, Ohio amended Revised Code §955.11 to remove pit bulls from…

Dublin has no breed-specific legislation. Ohio repealed statewide BSL in 2012 (HB 14), and Dublin follows…

Franklin County has no breed-specific legislation. Ohio repealed statewide pit-bull targeting in 2012 (HB 14)…

Grove City has no breed-specific legislation. Ohio removed breed-specific language from state law in 2012 under HB 14…

Summit County classifies dogs as nuisance, dangerous, or vicious based only on documented behavior, never on breed…

Toledo does not enforce breed-specific restrictions. Ohio repealed statewide breed-specific language in 2012 under HB…

Westerville does not enforce breed-specific legislation. Ohio repealed statewide breed-specific pit bull designation in…

Ohio law makes every beekeeper register each apiary with the Ohio Department of Agriculture by June 1, and every hive…

Akron requires a permit from the Director of Neighborhood Assistance before placing a beehive anywhere in the city…

Cincinnati lets residents keep bees on any lot with at least 2,500 square feet per apiary, and exempts hives from the…

Cleveland §347.02 allows beekeeping: 1 hive per 2,400 sq ft of lot area, minimum lot size 2,400 sq ft. Hives must be 5…

Dayton's zoning code lets residents keep bees on lots as small as 3,000 square feet, with hive counts scaled to lot…

Franklin County zoning caps backyard honeybee colonies by lot size, two on a quarter acre or less, up to six on more…

Hamilton County sets no beekeeping ordinance. Ohio law (ORC 909.02) requires any person who owns or possesses bees to…

Lucas County sets no countywide beekeeping rule. Ohio law (ORC 909.02) requires every beekeeper to register their hives…

Parma allows backyard beekeeping in residential zones but caps it at two hives on a 6,000-square-foot lot, rising to…

Beekeeping in Pickerington is governed by city zoning and the Ohio Department of Agriculture apiary registration. Hives…

Ohio requires every beekeeper to register their apiary annually with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ORC 909.02)…

Beekeeping is permitted in Westerville residential zones with registration required under Ohio Department of…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act preempts local rules by banning private possession of lions, tigers, bears, primates…

Akron follows Ohio's exotic animal laws (ORC Chapter 935), which require a dangerous wild animal permit for species…

Dangerous wild animals including large cats, bears, primates, and constrictor snakes over 12 feet are banned from…

Ohio law (ORC 935) bans private possession of big cats, bears, wolves, primates, and alligators. The 2012 Dangerous…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (Revised Code Chapter 935), enacted in 2012 after the Zanesville incident, bans…

Columbus prohibits keeping any venomous reptile or arthropod, and any constrictor snake over twelve feet long, as pets…

Dayton bans keeping, possessing, or harboring an extensive list of exotic and wild animals, big cats, primates, bears…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (ORC 935) bans private ownership of big cats, bears, primates, and venomous snakes…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (ORC 935) prohibits private ownership of big cats, bears, non-human primates, large…

Dangerous wild animals (big cats, bears, primates, venomous snakes, large constrictors) are banned in Lakewood under…

Medina outlaws keeping, maintaining, or possessing any dangerous wild animal within city limits, naming species from…

Parma prohibits dangerous wild animals under ORC 935 (Ohio's 2012 Dangerous Wild Animal Act), which bans private…

Pickerington enforces Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (ORC 2927.21) which prohibits private ownership of big cats…

Ohio Revised Code Sec. 935.02, applied within unincorporated Summit County by Sec. 505.31, bars anyone from possessing…

Ohio has one of the nation strictest exotic animal laws under ORC Chapter 935, enacted after the 2011 Zanesville…

Westerville prohibits dangerous wild animals and restricted snakes under CO 505 and ORC 2927.21 (Ohio Dangerous Wild…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (ORC Ch. 935) bans private ownership of big cats, bears, primates, large constrictors…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animals Act (ORC Chapter 935) bans possessing a dangerous wild animal - big cats, bears…

Lima flatly prohibits keeping or harboring any wild animal within the city. Dangerous wild animals are separately…

Ohio bans private possession of dangerous wild animals such as big cats, bears, large primates, and many venomous…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (ORC Chapter 935) bans private possession of dangerous wild animals - big cats, bears…

Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act (ORC Chapter 935) bans private ownership of big cats, bears, primates, and large…

Ohio does not ban feeding wildlife everywhere. The statewide rule that exists, Ohio Administrative Code…

Akron declares the common Asiatic pigeon a public nuisance and bans feeding large flocks of them. City Code § 92.21…

Medina prohibits purposely feeding deer, geese, ducks, raccoons, fowl, other wildlife, or stray animals when the…

Cleveland bars anyone from feeding pigeons, starlings, sparrows or other birds on public property, or leaving food out…

Cincinnati's rat-control chapter regulates outdoor bird and animal feeding: unattended food put out to nourish birds…

Ohio's companion animal cruelty law universally criminalizes neglect typical of hoarding situations, with felony…

Akron treats any household with more than four dogs over six months old as an unlicensed kennel. City Code § 92.28…

Ohio has no fixed 'hoarding' number, but keeping animals without adequate food, water, or shelter is a crime under ORC…

Ohio has no ordinance named 'hoarding,' but ORC 959.13 makes it illegal to neglect an animal or fail to provide…

Lima's Codified Ordinances set no fixed numeric cap on dogs or cats per household. Instead, ownership is limited by the…

Ohio's companion-animal cruelty law makes it illegal to keep animals without adequate food, water, or shelter, or to…

Stark County sets no countywide pet limit, but the county seat does: Canton Codified Ordinance 505.14 caps a household…

Parma's animal control code does not set a flat numeric cap on pets, but Codified Ordinances 618.01(t) defines a…

Lakewood sets no flat numerical cap on dogs or cats per household. Instead, under Section 505.12 a court may limit the…

Toledo requires every cat over six months old to be registered annually with the Commissioner and to wear a cat tag…

Akron treats cats the same as dogs, livestock, and fowl under its at-large ban: City Code § 92.01(B) bars letting a cat…

Cincinnati has no city cat-licensing or feral-colony ordinance; the governing city cat rule is the mandatory rabies…

Cleveland has no cat licensing requirement, but a cat found at large or abandoned can be impounded under Codified…

Lima has no separate cat-licensing law, but cats are covered by the general animal regulations: they may not be kept so…

Parma's leash law covers cats as explicitly as dogs. Codified Ordinances 618.05(a) bars any owner from letting an…

Summit County's animal control chapter puts one targeted duty on cat owners: keep a female cat confined at home while…

Medina has no cat licensing or leash requirement, but its wildlife-feeding ban exempts anyone officially authorized by…

Cincinnati doesn't require spay/neuter for dogs generally, but once a dog is finally designated a nuisance, dangerous…

Akron's only mandatory spay/neuter rule is narrow: § 92.18 requires any miniature potbellied pig kept as a pet to be…

Every dog or cat over six months old adopted from Cleveland's City Kennel must be spayed or neutered at the Spay and…

Summit County Code Sec. 505.24(a) bars anyone convicted of a felony offense of violence, or a felony under ORC Chapters…

Toledo doesn't require every dog to be fixed, but Municipal Code 1706.02(F)(1) lets a court order a dog spayed or…

Summit County Code Sec. 505.24(b) requires anyone covered by the county's felon dog-ownership restriction, a person…

Akron keeps a voluntary microchip registry for cats and dogs under City Code § 92.155. Owners are never required to…

Medina bans hunting of any animal or fowl citywide, which includes coyotes, and allows only one narrow exception: a…

Parma bans owning or harboring a coyote outright under Codified Ordinances 618.09(a)(9), and separately prohibits…

Since Ordinance 503-13 took effect, Toledo bars any pet shop, retail business, or commercial establishment from selling…

Parma does not ban retail sale of dogs and cats. Chapter 709 licenses pet shops through the Director of Public Safety…

Toledo's zoning code defines pet stores, dog-bathing salons and grooming shops as the "Sales and Grooming"…

Columbus zoning lists pet grooming as a permitted commercial use in C-3 districts, but only with no outside runs or…

Akron's Form-Based Zoning Code (approved March 11, 2024) treats veterinary offices, animal hospitals, kennels, pet…

Cincinnati zones veterinary clinics as 'Animal Service Facilities,' permitted by right in every Commercial district and…

Columbus permits veterinary clinics as a commercial use, but small-animal vets in C-1 and C-2 districts cannot offer…

Medina's zoning code confines veterinary care to the C-3 General Commercial District and requires it operate inside a…

Toledo's zoning code lists veterinary offices, pet clinics and animal hospitals as their own "Veterinary" use type…

Cincinnati makes it unlawful to kill, wound, maim, injure, shoot at, trap, net, or pursue any wild bird within the…

Parma's animal abuse ordinance flatly bans killing any bird or disturbing its nest anywhere in the city. Codified…

Medina makes it a minor misdemeanor to kill, injure, or shoot at a wild bird, destroy its nest or eggs, or trap, net…