Hartford city leaders propose ordinance to limit pets to 6 per household

Hartford’s proposed ordinance to limit pets is stirring debate, with residents questioning its fairness and necessity. A public hearing is set for Dec. 15.

HARTFORD, Conn. — A new ordinance to limit household pets, introduced by two Hartford city leaders, is drawing strong reactions from neighbors across the city.

The proposed ordinance would cap the number of animals at six per residential property, with no more than four dogs allowed. Any combination of cats and dogs is permitted as long as the total does not exceed six, and there is a maximum of four dogs.

The ordinance would apply to all residential properties, including single-family, multi-family and mixed-use homes. Service animals and emotional support animals would count toward the six-pet total.

Hartford City Councilmembers Maly Rosado and John Gale proposed the idea after animal control officers reported several concerns relating to pet ownership. These issues had grown beyond what neighbors could safely manage, leading to problems for the animals, owners and the neighborhood.

The ordinance says the purpose is to “promote public health, safety, and welfare, and to prevent nuisances arising from keeping excessive numbers of domestic animals in residential areas.”

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For some residents like Daniel Gonzalez, the idea feels overly restrictive.

“If you want five, six dogs, I mean, you should be able to have it, and I think it’s absurd. To me, I feel like that’s a little too controlling, you know,” Gonzalez said.

Others like Teresa Twomey said the proposal raises more questions than answers.

“What’s driving it? What are the reasons? What’s the rationale? Who wants that?” Twomey said. “If somebody had a valid reason for wanting more, would they be able to ask for some sort of exception or is it a hard and fast no?”

There are some exemptions to the limit and those include:

Licensed kennels or catteries
Animal shelters or rescue organizations
Veterinary establishments
Temporary fostering for up to 90 days
Litters of puppies or kittens under 12 weeks old

For those who do not qualify under those exceptions, and the ordinance passes, people in violation can be fined $100 per day.

“$100 a day? My goodness…$100. Man, that’s absurd. I mean, it’s sad to say, but it’s going to kind of force people to have to obey. It’s not right,” Perez said.

For pet owners like Jalyzia Perez, it raises an important question: what happens if a household already has six cats and dogs in their household already?

“I only have two dogs but I have four animals in general, so I really couldn’t. I don’t know what I would do if I had to give my dogs away or if I was at that max. I don’t know,” Perez said.

There will be a public hearing at Hartford City Hall on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

People can read the full ordinance here.

Annette Montgomery is a Multi-Skilled Journalist and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at amontgomery@fox61.com.

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