Animal Ordinances in Rhode Island (2026)

Rhode Island treats horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs running loose on any highway or common as animals at large. Under…

Pawtucket's zoning ordinance bans raising or breeding any animals citywide, and City Code § 116-8.1 separately bars…

Warwick allows keeping livestock and other animals only with a zoning board special use permit in every district from…

Cranston limits residents to one rooster, housed in a coop and fenced area at least 150 feet from a neighbor's…

Providence caps backyard hens at one per 800 square feet of lot, six max, with no roosters and mandatory coop specs.

Rhode Island state law requires dogs to be under control or restrained when off the owner's premises. Title 4…

Cranston law requires dog owners to keep their dog under restraint, on a leash or other security device, everywhere off…

Pawtucket requires every dog owner to keep the dog under restraint at all times and bars letting it run at large off…

Providence requires every dog owner to keep their dog under restraint at all times, leashed, in a vehicle, or confined…

Warwick requires every dog owner to keep their dog under restraint at all times and bars dogs from running at large off…

Rhode Island law expressly prohibits municipalities from enacting breed-specific dog regulations. Under Section 4-13-43…

Pawtucket bans owning, possessing or selling a pit bull citywide under City Code § 116-37.1, with a narrow grandfather…

Providence requires owners of American pit bull dogs, pit bull terrier dogs, or Staffordshire terrier dogs to register…

Warwick regulates dogs by behavior, not breed: Sec. 4-50 lets the city declare an unprovoked-aggressive dog a violation…

Cranston has no breed-specific dog ban, but owners of any fierce, dangerous, or vicious dog face escalating fines and…

Every apiary in Rhode Island must be registered annually with the Department of Environmental Management by March 1…

Providence lets residents keep honeybees without a building permit, but apiaries must sit in the rear yard, 10 feet off…

Rhode Island law restricts importing, possessing, and exhibiting wild and exotic animals through DEM permits under…

Cranston bans keeping wild animals within city limits except as fixed by the dog officer, with exemptions for circuses…

Pawtucket bars keeping any wild animal within city limits except under conditions the Animal Control Officer fixes, per…

Warwick bars keeping any wild animal within city limits unless the animal control officer sets conditions allowing it…

Feeding wildlife or strays that creates a food source is illegal citywide under Pawtucket City Code § 116-44, enforced…

Cranston bars leaving food loose in the open for birds or animals, caps residents at one outdoor bird feeder until the…

Providence bans loose wild-bird feeding on the ground: food must sit in a suitable container raised at least 48 inches…

Warwick bans feeding coyotes outright and restricts feeding squirrels and songbirds to elevated feeders within 100 feet…

Providence Animal Control and Rhode Island animal-cruelty laws treat hoarding cases as a serious public health concern…

Cranston caps unlicensed dogs at two per address and hard-caps cats at four, unless the dog officer certifies the…

Pawtucket caps ownership at three licensed dogs per residence under City Code § 116-27, unless the Director of Public…

Warwick caps ownership at three dogs and three cats over 12 weeks old per lot, with all commonly owned lots treated as…

Cranston caps cat ownership at four per address unless the property is licensed as a kennel or pet shop, with fees and…

Anyone selling or adopting out cats in Pawtucket must disclose the city's licensing rules under § 116-50, and…

Providence does not require cat licensing under Chapter 4, but cats running at large may be impounded by Providence…

Every cat over six months old in Pawtucket must be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds a $100 annual intact…

Providence requires dogs six months or older to be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds a city breeding permit or…

Warwick bars owning or harboring an unaltered cat over six months old unless the owner holds a $100-per-year…

Providence bans pet stores from selling live dogs or cats; shops may only host shelter or rescue animals for public…

Warwick bans pet stores and other commercial businesses from selling, displaying, or giving away live dogs or cats…

Providence zones pet grooming businesses as an Animal Care Facility, requiring exterior exercise areas in side or rear…

Providence zones veterinary offices as an Animal Care Facility use, permitted by right in the C-2, C-3, W-2, M-1 and…

Cranston limits each property to one bird feeder while the city's rodent infestation persists, and requires wild bird…

Pawtucket requires a City Council license to run a pigeon loft, caps each loft at 75 birds, and allows only one loft…

Providence's park code bars anyone from bathing, fishing, or disturbing fish, birds, waterfowl, or other animals in…