Looking to add some pets this year? As a pet owner, it’s important to do your research to keep your pets healthy and safe. This includes learning your city’s local licensing and regulation ordinances regarding pets. In the City of Stanley, by the time your cat or dog is five months old, you must pay a license tax and obtain a license annually. For spayed or neutered cats and dogs the cost is $13 and for unaltered cats and dogs the cost is $16. If you choose to have more than three dogs or cats, you must apply for a kennel license. According to Section 7-1-20( b ) Code of Ordinances, City of Stanley, Wisconsin “ No residential unit shall own, harbor or keep in its possession more than a total of three (3) dogs or three (3) cats, or a combined total of five (5) dogs and cats, in any residential unit without the prior issuance of a kennel (multi-animal) license by the Common Council except that a litter of pups or kittens or a portion of a litter may be kept for not more than ten (10) weeks from birth.” The one-time fee for a kennel license is $30. In 2022, the city of Stanley had 151 dogs and 26 cats registered in Chippewa County, and 4 dogs and 3 cats for Clark County.

If you are purchasing a snake, it may not be larger than 10 feet in length. According to Section 7-1-22, it states you may not “keep or possess any snake in the City of Stanley which is poisonous or in excess of ten (10) feet in length.” Pigs are not allowed in city limits but Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, “weighing less than 80 pounds which are intended for and kept as domestic pets,” are allowed. An annual license must be purchased from the City Clerk’s office and a certificate of Purebred Registration must be filed with the City Clerk-Treasurer. If you have your heart set on a homestead with ponies and goats, you will have to move out of city limits to see that become a reality. Horses, ponies, swine, sheep, goats and cattle are out of the question in city limits. And regarding

rabbits, the limit is no more than four.

Chicken coops popping up on residential property seem to be the trend, but they have their limits too. The maximum number of chickens is five for residential lots of 20,000 square feet or less. For residential lots greater than 20,000 square feet the number of chickens can increase by one additional chicken per 3,000 square feet up to a maximum of eight. But no boys are allowed in these hen houses. “The keeping of roosters over four months of age is prohibited on residential parcels except on those residential parcels 40,000 square feet or larger where one rooster may be kept for every ten hens.” (Section 7-1-25) In 2022, eight permits were purchased for chickens in the city of Stanley, which is an increase from the four purchased in 2021.

If the decline of the bee population has you buzzing to get your own, make sure that “no hive, stand, or box where bees are kept shall be located closer than twenty (20) feet to any property boundary. Such hives, stands or boxes may only be located in the rear yard.” (Section 7-1-23) A conditional use permit must also be obtained through your city clerk.

For more detailed information on pet licensing in the City of Stanley visit stanleywisconsin.

us