About moving to Tucson with pets...got a question, please. (Pima: real estate, lease)

[Pekenpom]

TIA for any advice anyone can give us about pet numbers allowed per household in Tucson. We haven't found anything about pet number limits in the city ordinances, but it seems like a lot of Tucson residential areas are developments of one kind or another, which we imagine have all sorts of covenants. Does anyone have a feel for how tight some of the $200,000 - $3000.000 price range developments might be regarding pets? Just trying to get a feel for the difficulty of researching real estate properties from afar (Iowa).
We currently have 10 little dogs (gimps and geezers), left-overs from my active rescue days before arthritis, plus two cats...who are larger than the dogs. Although attrition will take its toll, and we'll have fewer dogs within a few years, we'd like to move sooner rather than later...before attrition also takes it's toll with us!
BTW, all the critters are in the house, so tile or good vinyl flooring is a gotta-have!
All thoughts would be welcomed and appreciated. (Even the ones advising psychiatric evaluation.)
Thanks!

[Marcy1210]

I googled "animal ordinance Tucson", "animal zoning Tucson", "pets allowed in residential housing Tucson", you get the idea. Nothing. The closest I came was in "Yahoo Answers" which said only 4 pets per household in Tucson, otherwise you need a residential kennel license which runs about $400.00 a year.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Marcy1210

I googled "animal ordinance Tucson", "animal zoning Tucson", "pets allowed in residential housing Tucson", you get the idea. Nothing. The closest I came was in "Yahoo Answers" which said only 4 pets per household in Tucson, otherwise you need a residential kennel license which runs about $400.00 a year.

Great find, Marcy.

Also, individual HOAs may very well have their own limits as well.

[Marcy1210]

That's very true, Bummer. Ours does. Only two "free ranging" (I assume they don't mean chickens) per unit (I'm in a condo). You can have as many caged animals as you want, otherwise, it's either two dogs, two cats, one dog-one cat........

I also found Pima Animal Care's site which states that all dogs over 3 months must be licensed. There are penalties and fees if the dog isn't licensed. All vaccinations must also be up to date.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Marcy1210

That's very true, Bummer. Ours does. Only two "free ranging" (I assume they don't mean chickens) per unit (I'm in a condo). You can have as many caged animals as you want, otherwise, it's either two dogs, two cats, one dog-one cat........

I also found Pima Animal Care's site which states that all dogs over 3 months must be licensed. There are penalties and fees if the dog isn't licensed. All vaccinations must also be up to date.

I am certain these HOA restrictions are more typical than unique throughout Arizona, Marcy.

I've never been a big advocate of ridiculous laws and restrictions, however, far too many individuals do not have the common sense to "go it alone" nowadays . . . too many unruly animals, loud music or "junked vehicles" in their driveway or on their lawn are just a few examples.

[M.A.]

There is currently not a city ordinance limiting the number of dogs/cats that you can have. However, HOAs will be allowed to limit the number and almost all of them do. Search for homes that have no HOA. Most of these will be older homes, not new developments.

Here is a page from Pima Animal Care for newcomers. Pima Animal Care Center

It has some detail about licensing and other requirements.

[Pekenpom]

Wow, you guys are on the beam! Guess I'll call the Powers That Be for details on kennel licenses. Beasties can be a very expensive habit!
Yeah, I think newer houses are out, at least for now.
Thanks Marcy1210, now I'll know to try "Yahoo Answers" as well as city/county websites when researching codes and ordinances. I wonder why some towns and cities make it so hard to find out what the rules are?
Bummer, I share your frustration and irritation with inconsiderate neighbors, and I think if the existing nuisance laws were enforced, we could all get along fine with fewer total laws.
M.A., thanks, that looks like a good site with lots of useful information.

[Howard Roark]

Which brings up an issue. The one thing I cannot stand is barking dogs. My folks had one. We would get a soda can, fill it with about 15 pennies and tape the end shut, then struggle out of bed and go to the window where the dog usually stayed, then give a few shakes. It did not permanently stop the dog from barking, but she hated it.

So when I buy my new house in Tucson, it will probably be next door to a bozo with barking dogs. That's my cunundrum. Whereas, by renting, I have a year lease and will put up with it for a year. Some complexes disallow big dogs. Unfortunately many complexes allow dogs.

I'm not anti-dog. I just wanna get some sleep.

[Marcy1210]

And, speaking of noxious dogs, we just got a flyer (all residents did) attached to their doors from the HOA stating that some dog owners are letting their dogs "deposit" outside of the designated areas where there are bag and glove dispensers. If the owners are located and identified, they will be fined. Now, this one I'm happy to see as we have a lot of grass around our units, and it's not fun to walk out to change a bird feeder and then have to wash off your shoes from some Fido's deposit. When do the scorpions and rattlers emerge from hibernation?

[Pekenpom]

IMHO, irresponsible dog owners are the worst enemies of dogs and responsible owners, because they are so much more noticeable.
There are plenty of "nuisance laws" on the books, but they're notoriously poorly enforced. A (very) few cities have gotten their acts together and given their animal control depts enough funding and legal standing to take up the slack.
Remember, responsible pet owners are on your side!