Animal Control

Working with Animal Care League, 1011 Garfield St., the Village helps find and return lost pets, and promotes adoption of stray animals. Animal Control employs one full-time, professionally trained officer who addresses stray and nuisance wildlife problems. As part of the Oak Park Department of Public Health, the division also licenses pets annually.

If your pet is missing, first call Animal Care League at 708.848.8155, the Village's impound shelter. If you cannot reach Animal Care League, call Animal Control at 708.358.5486. If you would like to adopt an animal or become an animal control volunteer, visit the Animal Care League's website.

A telephone call from Animal Control is all it takes to reunite lost or strayed pets with their owners - provided those pets have been licensed and are wearing tags. All dogs and outdoor cats must be licensed annually. Owners must show proof of a current rabies inoculation before a license will be issued. The annual license fee of $25 is reduced to $10 for a spayed or neutered animal.

Residents new to the Village can register online or come to Village Hall with proof of current rabies inoculation and spaying/neutering. The license fee is $10 for a neutered/spayed dog and all outdoor cats, and $25 for any non-spayed/non-neutered dog.

If paying online, the first step is to register in the online portal if you have not already done so. Prompts on the portal guide users through the registration process. Once registration is complete, users can delete pets they no longer own, add new ones, update vaccination records and add the pet’s spay/neuter status. Payment is made with a credit card, a receipt is sent via email and the actual tag delivered by mail.

Renew a pet license

Village ordinance limits the number of animals on private premises as follows:

Single-family residences, townhomes, buildings or lots

• Three dogs
• Two cats if allowed to run at-large (outside), or four cats if only kept indoors
• Combination of no more than 10 of all types of permitted animals

Single units of two- or three-flat residential dwellings

• Two dogs
• Two cats
• Combination of no more than five of all types of permitted animals

Single units of multi-family residential building containing four or more dwelling units

• Two dogs
• One cat allowed if allowed to run at-large (outside), or two cats if only kept indoors.
• Combination of no more than five of all types of permitted animals

Animal Control can answer questions and provide assistance deterring nuisance wildlife such as birds, skunks, squirrels, raccoons and opossums. Property owners can call 708.358.5486 or email health@oak-park.us to request a consultation.

Detailed information on preventing and solving wildlife problems or hiring a nuisance wildlife control operator is posted on the University of Illinois Extension's Living with Wildlife in Illinois website.

Responsible pet owners agree that picking up after one’s dog is the right thing to do. Dog excrement is not only a nuisance, it's unhealthy and against the law. Owners who fail to pick up after their pets may be ticketed and fined.

Anyone observing a dog not on a leash or an owner not picking up after a pet can report the violation by calling 708.358.5486 or emailing health@oak-park.us.

Public Health Department staff investigate conditions that could result in rat infestations. The Health Department also administers rat abatement activities, investigates citizen complaints and enforces environmental health codes related to rodent control.

For more information, contact 708.358.5486 or animalcontrol@oak-park.us.

Rodent Baiting Release Form(PDF, 332KB) 

Tips for rodent proofing your property

An Oak Park property owner can establish up to two honeybee colonies - or apiaries - as long as the following specific Village code requirements are met:

• Register with the Illinois Department of Agriculture
• Provide an on-site water source for the bees
• Keep records of hive maintenance
• Provide a flyaway barrier by surrounding the apiary with dense vegetation or a fence at least five feet high

Beekeepers also must apply for an annual permit, pay a $75 fee and have their properties inspected by the Department of Public Health before a permit will be issued.

A beekeeping permit will not be issued for an apiary within 150 feet of any address where a resident with an allergy to bee stings documented by a licensed physician has registered with the Village.

• Click here to register an anaphylaxis to bee stings with the Health Department

Contact the Health Department for more information.

More information about beekeeping in Oak Park