How many animals are you allowed to have on your property? The answer to this question varies from city to city and region to region. You might be wondering because you want to purchase a new pet and already have pets at home, or you might be a farmer who needs to know the limitations for animals for land planning and agricultural purposes in Idaho.
For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the rules for the city of Nampa. You can find information about animal zoning regulations on the City of Nampa website.
What do the regulations say?
Nampa has ordinances in place to address the keeping of any animals, defining terms like “exotic” and “agricultural” and providing rules for where and how they should be managed.
Most of our clients will likely be interested in what rules are in place for agricultural animals.
If agricultural animals are to be kept on a lot, the lot must have at least 30,000 square feet. There is a limit of one “large” animal for every 10,000 square feet, or two “medium-sized” animals for every 10,000 square feet. This area refers to grazing and open pasture space, and thus excludes all structures except barns, stables or similar structures or covered enclosures used for milking, husbandry or processing.
It is allowed to have combinations of large and medium-sized animals on a single lot, so long as the density requirements are met. Any buildings on those lots (including pens, runs, enclosures, stables and corrals) that house agricultural animals or their feed or equipment must be set back at least 30 feet from property lines and at least 50 feet from residential structures. Agricultural animals are not allowed to be in the front yard area of the home.
Keeping agricultural animals as pets
Regulations do allow some animals normally considered “agricultural” to be kept as pets, but there are different limitations for quantities in such cases. There are also limitations on the kind of animals that cannot be classified as pets, such as bees, roosters, horses, peacocks, goats, sheep, donkeys, llamas, emus, ostriches and turkeys.
The number of agricultural animals allowed as pets is considered to be in addition to the number of dogs allowed per lot. Examples of maximum numbers include 10 chickens, two ducks, one miniature horse or pygmy goat or four rabbits/chinchillas. Residences are allowed to have two potbellied pigs as pets, and the total number of pigs and dogs must not exceed two.
Agricultural animals kept as pets are allowed to enter the front yard area/residential area of the property, unlike animals kept specifically for agricultural purposes. All rules regarding living conditions and nuisance ordinances apply to agricultural animals kept as pets.
If you’re interested in learning more about the limitations that exist in Nampa and the surrounding area about the number of animals you can have on your property, contact the land planning team at Mason & Associates with any questions. We’d be glad to discuss your options for your land in Idaho!