City to step up pet ordinance enforcement in 2026
Earlier this year, the Holton City Commission approved an updated dog and cat ordinance that would limit Holton residents to three dogs and three cats each, outside of permits for additional pets that were “grandfathered in” at the time of the ordinance’s approval.
Starting Thursday, Jan. 1, the city will enforce that limit on the number of pets that may be kept, according to Holton City Manager Teresa Riley.
“Technically, the ordinance has been in effect, but we did not enforce it on existing animals until Jan. 1,” Riley said. “The fees for tags are the same as in the past.”
Registration fees, which are due by the first day of March each year, will remain at $5 for each spayed or neutered dog or cat and $10 for any dog or cat that is not spayed or neutered. That applies to all dogs that are at least six months old and all cats that are at least three months old, those ages corresponding to when the animals receive their first rabies vaccinations.
Anyone who wants to keep more than the limit of three dogs and/or three cats is required to apply for “a special permit,” according to the ordinance, which did not specify whether there was a cost for a “special permit.”
Riley said that due to the city not currently having an animal control officer in place, enforcement of the ordinance would be “tricky,” adding that Holton city police would be working to enforce the ordinance.
She also noted that city employees have not heard much feedback on the new ordinance since its approval, but added that “I am sure the comments will start when we begin enforcing the limits.”
The question of how many dogs and cats city residents should be allowed to keep was first posed in March, when city commissioner Clara Lovvorn requested the city draft an ordinance limiting the number of dogs that can be kept by homeowners in the city limits to three.
During discussions on whether to update the city’s ordinance on dogs and cats, commissioners agreed that there should also be a limit on the number of cats that may be kept after commissioner and now mayor Marilyn Watkins noted that city codes did not place a limit on cats and that she did not want to see cats getting a “free ride” in the codes.
Previously, city laws on pets did not place limits on how many of each animal could be kept by homeowners, although annual dog tag renewals are required and penalties are assessed for allowing dogs to run at large. Those laws remain in place, along with registration and vaccination requirements for pets, as well as regulations on animal noises and bites.
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