Saturday, August 9, 2008

Pet limit laws


Is there a limit on how many dogs or other animals I can have in my house or on my property?

Neither New York City nor New York State limits the number of dogs or other animals you can own, but sadly many muncipalities impose restrictions on the number of dogs, cats and other pet animals permitted.

You should check with your municipal clerk for more details on limits in your city or town.

Notes:
Limitations on the number of animals you can have in your home is often a part of local zoning laws. Be sure to ask about both "limit laws" and "zoning restrictions."
Limit laws have been successfuly challenged on constitutional grounds in some jurisdictions. See sidebar for further information.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can you tell me which office you mean exactly that I should contact in Kings County, Brooklyn, to discuss about the number of dogs permitted per household in my municipality, not sure which office or the contact info for them?

The only New York organization dedicated to protecting the rights of caring dog owners said...

There are no limit laws for dogs in any part of the City of New York, including Brooklyn.

(Note that landlords, condominimums and co-op boards may establish their own policies and by-laws for a specific property, although there are some limitations placed on them by the City of New York.)

The New York City Health Department administers most other regulations on pets--such as dog licensing, rabies vaccination requirements, dangerous dog laws, etc.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/home/home.shtml

Anonymous said...

I live in an attached 3-story townhouse in Brooklyn. They are privately owned homes. The home next door to me has a family of 7 people living with at least 5 dogs in it currently. There is barking throughout the day & night,sometimes at 2/4am. Every year since I bought the home this neighbor has been adding more & more dogs from the daughter's dog grooming business & since the walls of the building are attached, this noise comes through to our home at all hours.The addition of each new dog has created more & more noise for us & in trying to discuss this with our neighbors, they have pretty much told us to go to h**l. Any suggestions you could offer to help our situation? Any city offical we could contact?Many thanks.

The only New York organization dedicated to protecting the rights of caring dog owners said...

New York City has a pretty tough new set of nuisance noise ordinances, and they cover barking dogs. See this website's section on New York City ordinances for the regulations on dogs.

You should contact the city's Department of Environmental Conservation for further information.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/noise_code_guide.pdf

Anonymous said...

What is the dog limit per household for the city of Buffalo, New York (Erie County)?

The only New York organization dedicated to protecting the rights of caring dog owners said...

You should check with the city clerk's office to be sure, because Buffalo's codes are unusually complicated.

The online codes indicate the limits are as follows:

3 dogs per *entire premises* for properties classified as single or double-family residences, or commercial properties

1 dog per household for multiple-family (more than two-family) dwellings

link: http://www.e-codes.generalcode.com/codes/1237_A/1237-078.pdf#xml=http://www.e-codes.generalcode.com/searchresults.asp?cmd=pdfhits&DocId=19&Index=C%3a%5cProgram%20Files%5cdtSearch%5cUserData%5c1237%5fA&HitCount=88&hits=5c+6e4+6ef+6fc+731+7a8+7be+7c6+7d4+7ec+8&hc=106&req=dog

Anonymous said...

You said:

"Limit laws have been successfuly challenged on constitutional grounds in some jurisdictions. See sidebar for further information."

I've looked at the sidebar but could not find any further info where limit laws/ordinances have been successfully challenged. Could you please provide that information?

Thank you!

The only New York organization dedicated to protecting the rights of caring dog owners said...

Ooops! Looks like we lost that link.

See:
http://www.nokillnow.com/petlimitlawunconst.htm

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what the limit per household is for the village of Freeport, NY?

The only New York organization dedicated to protecting the rights of caring dog owners said...

The Village of Freeport appears to limit dog and cat ownership to a combined total of five anmials:

"[Added 8-28-1978 by L.L. No. 17-1978]
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or harbor a combined total of either five dogs or cats in any residential housing or dwelling unit or on its grounds."

http://www.ecode360.com/?custId=FR0651

Call the village clerk's office for verification.

Anonymous said...

I'm trying to find out the dog limits for Syracuse, NY and if its possible to obtain a kennel license if there is a restricted number.Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

In NYC how would I find if I could make a residential home a Pet Boarding/rescue 501c3 Group?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know the limit in Ontario County New york for Dogs? does it matter if it's a rural or urban setting (I live in a rural/commercial area)

mandy said...

Hi-

I need some help with they nyc pet law. I recently received an eviction notice for my second dog as apparently I am only allowed 1 dog in my apartment (didn't realize it was in my lease) I have had my second dog for over 8 months and we are by no means hiding this dog (doorman building). What are our rights to keep this dog since it is over 90 days?

emily said...

anyone no the pet limit for maryland

Anonymous said...

Hi I am looking for dog/animal limit laws in the area of northport, NY (suffolk county). Also wondering if you could tell me what the laws are regarding cleaning up waste from animals in a shared 2-house apartment yard

Anonymous said...

How many dogs are allowed per single family household in Yonkers, NY ?

Anonymous said...

I need help in fighting my landlord. After having this apartment for almost 30 yrs in Bronx New York, now the landlord does not want me to any more dogs. Please response

The only New York organization dedicated to protecting the rights of caring dog owners said...

Dog owners in NYC are protected by a NYC ordinance which says that IF the dog(s) has been in the rental housing openly for 90 days, the owner cannot be evicted.

http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/attygenguide.html#pets

I suggest you obtain a copy of the law -- see the above link and write to the landlord. If you have photos documenting the undisguised presence of dogs in the apartment over years, include a copy if you can.

Be prepared for the landlord's next likely step, which will be to claim that the dogs are a nuisance, or a sanitation issue, and that other tenants are complaining, etc. Get letters from your neighbors now, if at all possible.

Jesska said...

How exactly (if you can of course) go about getting/applying for a boarding/kennel license in Buffalo, NY [Erie County]. We do not plan to breed the dogs at all, they are all spayed/neutered. Also, I'm not sure the difference between the two licenses. Thank you!

The only New York organization dedicated to protecting the rights of caring dog owners said...

Jesska: Contact the city clerk's office for information on requirements for operating a kennel in the City of Buffalo. Ask specifically about zoning restrictions.

Anonymous said...

I live in Bellerose Queens NY and would rest a lot easier if I knew I was within the legal limits for dogs...can u help me to find the answer to this question????

inspireme said...

Is there a limit to how many dogs can be transported in a commercial vehicle for like a daycare pick-up in the state of NY or Westchester County?