Animal Ordinances in Utah (2026)

Eagle Mountain lets residential lot owners keep livestock under EMMC 6.10.080's Table 6.10.080, which sets maximum head…

Layton requires a one-time City permit to keep chickens or ducks on an R-1-6, R-1-8, R-1-10, or R-S lot under LMC §…

Lehi's Development Code sorts backyard animals into four categories and sets a hard number for each. Any lot with a…

Orem permits backyard hen chickens (no roosters) on single-family lots under one acre, with the number scaled to lot…

Provo City Code 8.02.190 lets residents in residential zones keep hen chickens (no roosters) for egg production, with…

Salt Lake City allows up to 15 hen chickens (no roosters) per residential lot for egg production, with a permit, a…

Unincorporated Salt Lake County caps backyard fowl and small livestock through its 'family food production' rule, with…

Sandy City Code allows up to ten chickens on any residential lot with no rezoning or hobby license, on top of six…

South Jordan allows up to six chickens per residential lot of at least 10,000 square feet for family food production…

St. George permits homeowners in every single-family zone to keep up to six adult hens as an accessory use, scaled to…

Unincorporated Utah County allows poultry and other livestock but bans letting them run at large, requires escape-proof…

Unincorporated Washington County lets residential-zone lots keep livestock and poultry for personal food production…

Weber County counts backyard chickens and other family food production animals in sets under Section 104-2-4: a lot…

West Jordan allows backyard chickens under a required Fowl Keeping Permit: City Code section 6-3E-3 caps a lot at five…

In West Valley City's Agricultural zones, keeping livestock is a permitted use capped at 200 'Animal points' per acre…

Utah Code section 17-41-403 protects agricultural activity, including raising chickens and other livestock, inside a…

Spanish Fork prohibits animals from running at large at any time. All animals must be on a leash whenever they are not…

Lehi City Code makes it unlawful for any domesticated animal, dogs included, to be at large anywhere within city…

West Jordan makes it unlawful for any dog or cat to run at large or trespass onto someone else's property, and owners…

Davis County makes it unlawful for any dog, cat or other animal to run at large in the unincorporated county under…

Eagle Mountain makes it unlawful for an owner to let a dog run at large under EMMC 6.05.110, and the owner is strictly…

Orem requires all dogs to be leashed or contained at all times, including in most city parks. The only designated…

Provo bans any animal from running at large citywide and holds the owner strictly liable, even if the escape was…

Salt Lake City bans dogs from running at large; owners must keep dogs restrained by a six-foot leash, secure enclosure…

A dog in unincorporated Salt Lake County is running at large whenever it is off its owner's or handler's property…

Sandy Code § 12-1-11 makes it unlawful to let any animal run at large at any time, defined as not being under restraint…

South Jordan requires every dog to be restrained by a leash no longer than six feet, a secure enclosure, or direct…

St. George bans letting any dog run at large citywide, and the city code defines a leashed dog as one on a leash, cord…

Utah County Code Chapter 5 prohibits animals from running at large in unincorporated areas. Dogs must be under control…

In unincorporated Washington County it's unlawful for a dog's owner or keeper to let the dog run at large, defined as…

Weber County bans letting any animal, including dogs, run at-large under Section 6-4-2, with narrow exceptions for…

West Valley City bans letting any dog run at large citywide and defines restraint as being on a leash, in a vehicle, or…

Washington County does not restrict dogs by breed; instead it bans owning or possessing any dog legally classified as…

Davis County doesn't restrict dog breeds; it regulates individual animals through dangerous-animal declarations under…

Lehi City Code does not restrict any dog breed by name. Instead it lets the city investigate and formally determine…

Salt Lake City classifies dogs as dangerous or vicious by documented behavior, not breed: no dog breed is banned or…

Salt Lake County bans no dog breed. Under County Code §8.06.100, an animal individually designated dangerous needs a…

Sandy City has no breed-specific ban. Instead, § 12-3-3 lets a court declare an individual dog "dangerous" based on its…

South Jordan does not ban any dog breed by name; instead § 6.12.070 lets the city petition a court to declare an…

Utah County does not ban dogs by breed. Instead, an animal control officer can declare any dog vicious, and possessing…

Weber County does not ban dogs by breed. Animal control instead declares an animal 'potentially dangerous' or…

West Jordan doesn't ban any dog breed by name; instead it regulates behavior. Section 6-3D-7 requires the owner of any…

West Valley City does not ban dog breeds by name, but any dog declared "vicious" under Municipal Code § 23-1-102(35)…

Eagle Mountain has no breed-specific dog ban; instead EMMC 6.05.160 regulates by behavior. A dog judged vicious…

Orem has no breed-specific ordinance, and it cannot enact one. Utah Code Section 18-2-101 prohibits any municipality…

Provo cannot ban or restrict any dog by breed. Utah Code 18-2-101 prohibits a municipality from adopting or enforcing…

Under Utah Code 4-11-104, you cannot keep bees in Utah without registering with the Utah Department of Agriculture and…

Orem allows backyard beekeeping in every residential zone under Orem City Code Section 22-6-10(L), capped at two hives…

Provo allows backyard beekeeping under City Code Chapter 8.03, but caps hive counts by lot size, bans hives that…

Salt Lake City allows up to 5 hives on most residential lots (10 on half-acre-plus lots) with mandatory setbacks…

Beekeeping is a permitted use in the county's A-1 agricultural zone, but an apiary needs at least a 10,000-square-foot…

South Jordan allows honeybee hives as an accessory use on residential lots of at least a quarter acre, caps colonies by…

St. George caps residential apiaries at two hives per 12,000 square feet, eight hives maximum, with setback, water, and…

West Jordan allows honeybee keeping in every zoning district, but City Code section 6-3H-2 requires each beekeeper to…

Lehi treats beekeeping as a permitted use with no cap on the number of hives, in every zoning district from the A-5…

Unincorporated Utah County does not require a business license to keep bees. County Code 4.01.030 exempts apiaries and…

Davis County Code section 6.16.130 makes it unlawful to own, possess, keep or sell any wild animal in the…

Eagle Mountain bans selling, keeping, or harboring wild animals outright under EMMC 6.05.100. The code names bears, big…

Lehi bans keeping wild animals as pets outright. City Code Section 6-4E-5 makes it unlawful to sell, keep or purchase…

Orem bans keeping, selling, or trading a defined list of wild animals: bears, non-domesticated wild cats, coyotes…

Provo City Code 8.02.080 makes it unlawful to possess, sell, barter, or keep any wild animal within city limits. Only…

Salt Lake City bans owning, keeping, or selling wild or exotic animals as pets, including big cats, bears, wolves…

It's a crime to keep, sell, or give away a wild animal in unincorporated Salt Lake County unless the animal is at a…

Sandy Code § 12-1-28 bans selling, keeping, or purchasing any wild animal or hybrid, including bears, big cats…

South Jordan bans keeping, selling, buying, or giving away any 'wild animal', including big cats, wolves, bears…

St. George bans selling, buying, bartering, giving away, or keeping any non-domesticated wild animal or endangered…

West Jordan bans owning, selling, or keeping any wild animal within city limits under Code section 6-3D-12, defining a…

West Valley City makes it unlawful to keep, sell, or harbor any wild animal that is fierce, dangerous, noxious, or…

Washington County zoning bars exotic animals, defined as species not historically found on Washington County farms…

Weber County caps permitted exotic pets at five per residence under Section 6-3-2 and separately bans keeping wild…

Spanish Fork limits livestock and farm animals in residential zones. Chickens (up to 6 hens, no roosters) and…

Utah County Code Chapter 5 defines and regulates livestock in unincorporated areas. Livestock, including cattle, sheep…

It's unlawful in Sandy City to intentionally feed or leave food out for deer, elk, or moose on any private or public…

Provo City Code 8.02.200 makes it unlawful to place food, grain, or minerals anywhere in the city that draws wild deer…

West Jordan makes it unlawful to harbor, feed or keep any lost or strayed dog or cat on your property, unless you're a…

Utah has no standalone hoarding law. Hoarders are prosecuted under the cruelty-to-animals statute, Utah Code 76-13-202…

Davis County caps ownership at three dogs or cats, in any combination, per residence in the unincorporated county under…

Eagle Mountain caps unlicensed pet ownership at four cats and a lot-size-scaled number of dogs under EMMC 6.05.260 and…

Lehi City Code caps most households and businesses at three dogs and three cats, each four months or older, at any one…

Orem limits households to a maximum of two dogs and two cats (four months of age or older) per lot. Dogs over four…

Provo City Code 8.06.070 limits each residence or commercial establishment to no more than two dogs and no more than…

Sandy Code § 12-1-7 caps most households at three dogs at any address unless the owner obtains a hobby license, which…

South Jordan caps household pets at two per species over four months old per dwelling; owning a third dog, cat, or…

St. George caps most households at two dogs, with a narrow exception allowing up to four dogs on acre-plus lots or lots…

Unincorporated Utah County caps households at seven dogs six months or older and four cats four months or older without…

Unincorporated Weber County residences may keep at most three dogs and five cats at a time under Section 6-3-1. Anyone…

West Jordan limits any residence to four adult dogs and four adult cats at one time under section 6-3B-4, whether…

West Valley City caps Household Pets at four animals per address, including no more than two cats, two dogs, and two…

On a residential lot of one acre or less in unincorporated Washington County, household pets, meaning dogs, cats, or…

Salt Lake City sets no numeric limit on how many dogs or cats a resident can own, as long as every animal is licensed…

Salt Lake County places no cap on the number of dogs, cats, or ferrets a resident of the unincorporated area may own…

Every cat over four months old in unincorporated Davis County needs a county license tag showing current rabies…

Eagle Mountain bars cat owners from letting a cat run at large on someone else's property under EMMC 6.05.120, with…

Every cat in Orem four months or older must carry a current rabies vaccination: the first shot within 30 days of…

Provo lets owners license cats the same way as dogs under Section 8.06.020, and an unlicensed cat is presumed unowned…

Salt Lake City requires every cat four months or older to carry an annual Animal Services license, but exempts cats…

South Jordan requires owners to keep any female cat in heat confined indoors: the only cat-specific rule in the code…

Unincorporated Utah County makes it an infraction to let a cat run at large on another's property, requires rabies…

Washington County requires every cat over four months old to be vaccinated against rabies every twelve months, and it's…

Weber County does not license cats the way it licenses dogs, but cats are still bound by the county's general at-large…

Every cat in West Jordan must carry a City license once it turns four months old, renewed each year with proof of…

West Valley City requires every cat over four months old to be licensed annually, caps household cats at two per…

Salt Lake County Code § 8.04.200 authorizes trap-neuter-return: community cats, feral cats, and cats with no…

Sandy Code § 12-1-25 runs a trap-neuter-return program for feral and community cats: impounded cats that are healthy…

St. George's at-large ordinance exempts domestic cats entirely: only dogs and other animals must be confined or…

Dogs and cats adopted from Salt Lake City's Animal Services must be sterilized within the timeframe set in the adoption…

Davis County Code section 6.20.060 bars the county animal shelter from transferring an unsterilized dog or cat for…

St. George's animal shelter cannot transfer a cat or dog for adoption unless it is sterilized or the recipient signs a…

Weber County does not mandate spay or neuter for every pet, but Code § 6-5-4 requires anyone adopting a dog or cat from…

West Jordan's animal shelter won't release an unaltered dog or cat to a private adopter. Section 6-3C-5.B requires the…

West Valley City doesn't mandate sterilizing every pet, but any licensable animal or cat redeemed from impound or…

Provo has no citywide mandatory spay/neuter law for pet dogs and cats. The only mandatory spay/neuter rule in the code…

Sandy Code § 12-1-7 requires that at any residence licensing three dogs without a hobby license, at least one of the…

Salt Lake County doesn't require every pet to carry a microchip, but any animal impounded by the county must be…

Sandy Code § 12-3-4 requires every owner of a dog declared dangerous to implant a microchip before registering the dog…

Salt Lake City lets dog and cat owners microchip instead of using a collar tag, but only if the chip is registered with…

Weber County does not require microchips for pets in general. Under Code § 6-5-6, any animal adopted, rescued or…

Sandy City runs no cull or hazing program in its code. Instead, § 12-3-3 makes it flatly illegal to keep a coyote…

Washington County lets hunters take coyote, red fox, striped skunk, feral pig, raccoon and jackrabbit by spotlighting…

Provo City Code 8.02.200 makes it unlawful to place food or minerals that attract wild deer, elk, moose, or turkey in…

Weber County classifies coyotes as 'wild unprotected animals' along with raccoons, foxes and skunks under Code § 6-1-3…

Davis County Code section 6.28.080 makes it unlawful for any pet shop to sell or offer for sale a dog or cat. A pet…

Salt Lake City pet shops can't sell dogs, cats, or rabbits unless the animal came from a shelter, animal control…

Sandy City bars pet shops, retail businesses, and other commercial establishments from selling live dogs, cats, or…

West Jordan does not outlaw pet shops selling dogs or cats, but City Code section 6-3D-11 requires every pet shop to…

Orem's animal control chapter singles out one species-specific retail ban: pet shops in the city may not raise or sell…

West Valley City doesn't ban retail pet sales; it requires any kennel, cattery, pet shop, or groomery to hold an Animal…

Salt Lake City requires anyone operating a pet grooming business, termed a "groomery" in the code, to get a regulatory…

Operating a groomery, kennel, cattery, pet shop, riding stable or veterinary clinic in West Jordan requires a…

Eagle Mountain defines a groomer as someone who cleans and trims nails and fur during regular business hours only, with…

Layton treats pet grooming as an indoor "Pet Services" use: permitted outright in the M-1 and M-2 manufacturing zones…

Lehi treats pet grooming as a commercial use under its Development Code, and Table 05.030-B lists "Pet Grooming…

Run a dog or cat grooming business out of a residential zone in Orem and the code drops one hard rule on it: every part…

Provo City Code 8.02.130 makes it unlawful to keep an animal overnight at a grooming parlor unless the animal belongs…

Sandy City treats a commercial dog- or cat-grooming business, a "groomery" in the code, as a licensed use: operating…

St. George requires anyone operating a pet-grooming business, called a "groomery" in the code, to obtain a regulatory…

Washington County's commercial use chart allows pet grooming businesses as a permitted use in the C-2, C-3 and PDC…

Weber County defines an 'animal grooming establishment' as any business offering cosmetology services for animals and…

In unincorporated Salt Lake County's MD-1 and MD-3 mixed development zones, a veterinary clinic is allowed only as a…

A veterinary clinic in unincorporated Utah County is not a permitted use by right; it needs a Conditional Use permit…

In Weber County's unincorporated Agricultural zones, a veterinary facility needs a conditional use permit in the A-1…

In West Jordan, a veterinary service for small animals is not allowed by right in any zone. City Code § 13-5E-3 lists…

Eagle Mountain permits veterinary and animal care service uses only where the city's supplemental standard is met: no…

Veterinary clinics in Layton fall under the "Pet Services, Indoor" use category: permitted in the M-1 and M-2…

Lehi's Development Code defines a Veterinary Office as a facility providing medical, surgical, or grooming services…

Orem's zoning code lists veterinary services and small animal hospitals as Standard Land Use Code 6515 in Appendix A…

Provo allows veterinary hospitals, animal kennels, boarding, breeding, training, and grooming (excluding large animals)…

Veterinary offices are a permitted, by-right use in Salt Lake City's MU-2 through MU-11 mixed-use districts, while an…

Sandy City's land use matrix bars animal hospitals and veterinary offices from every residential, civic and open-space…

South Jordan requires all commercial veterinary, grooming and boarding operations to run inside a fully enclosed…

St. George limits animal hospitals and veterinary clinics to commercial, manufacturing, and planned development zones…

Washington County's commercial use chart permits animal hospitals and veterinary clinics, including overnight…

West Valley City confines Veterinary Hospitals to a one-acre minimum lot under Municipal Code § 7-7-127, and the…

St. George City Code flatly bans taking or killing any bird, or robbing or destroying any bird's nest, eggs, or young…

Inside a mapped wildlife corridor overlay zone, Eagle Mountain bars all construction and development during bird…

Orem City Code makes it a criminal offense to take or kill any bird, or to rob or destroy any bird's nest, egg, or…

Salt Lake City bans taking or killing any bird, or robbing or destroying a bird's nest, egg, or young, when the act…