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Seattle — household pet ownership limits (SMC animal codes)

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local-pet-ordinance 300 tok en 2026-07-23

Seattle — household pet ownership limits (SMC animal codes)

Source: City of Seattle — Animal Codes (seattle.gov/construction-and-inspections/codes/common-code-questions/animal-codes), extracted 2026-07-23. First-hand municipal text; C1 substring-verified against pdf-raw/local-ordinance/seattle_animal_codes.txt.

Seattle limits how many animals a household may keep. Per the city's animal codes: "No more than three small animals such as dogs and cats (unless your property is over 20,000 square feet)." The limit also covers other species: "Up to eight domestic fowl (more for lots over 10,000 square feet) are allowed, but no roosters," and "Miniature goats and small potbelly pigs are permitted with limitations; they are counted towards the three small animal maximum." Swine are sharply restricted: "No swine are allowed other than small potbelly pigs; no more than one potbelly pig is allowed." Farm animals (full-size goats, cows, horses, sheep) are allowed only on lots over 20,000 square feet.

Enforcement carries fines: "The first-time penalty for violating the limit on the number of animals is $150. The penalty for additional violations is $500."

This covers the Seattle "how many pets can I keep at home, and which kinds?" question — the ownership-limit sub-topic of local pet ordinances, distinct from leash/licensing rules and from state exotic-pet bans.

Verbatim C1 claims (each a substring of the source file + this body):

  1. "No more than three small animals such as dogs and cats (unless your property is over 20,000 square feet)"
  2. "Up to eight domestic fowl (more for lots over 10,000 square feet) are allowed, but no roosters"
  3. "Miniature goats and small potbelly pigs are permitted with limitations; they are counted towards the three small animal maximum"
  4. "No swine are allowed other than small potbelly pigs; no more than one potbelly pig is allowed"
  5. "The first-time penalty for violating the limit on the number of animals is $150. The penalty for additional violations is $500."

Sources

  • City of Seattle — Animal Codes (seattle.gov/construction-and-inspections/codes/common-code-questions/animal-codes), extracted 2026-07-23 via Tavily