Petition to Louisville Metro Council

We are Louisville residents, caregivers, families, farmers, and animal advocates who legally own and responsibly care for goats, sheep, and miniature horses within Louisville Metro.

Today, our ability to continue providing safe, humane homes for these animals is in serious danger.

Louisville Metro Council recently passed Ordinance No. 178-2025, and embedded within it was a significant change to the livestock ordinance that removed long-standing legal protections for backyard goats, sheep, and miniature horses. These changes were not communicated to the public, were not discussed as livestock policy, and included no grandfathering for animals already legally living in their homes.

If left uncorrected, this ordinance forces families, rescues, and responsible animal caregivers out of compliance overnight — and places countless animals across Louisville at risk of displacement, surrender, or worse.

 
What Changed in the Law — Exactly
For years, Louisville Metro’s animal ordinance explicitly exempted goats, sheep, and miniature horses from minimum land requirements applied to other livestock over 40 pounds.

The ordinance included two separate sections that worked together to establish these protections.

Previous Ordinance Language
Section (5) stated:

“All livestock weighing more than 40 pounds, except horses, stallions, colts, geldings, mares, fillies, ponies, miniature horses, mules, jacks, jennies, goats, kids, sheep, and porcine species, must be kept on tracts or lots of at least 0.5 acres or more.”
This section clearly excluded goats, kids (baby goats), sheep, ponies, and miniature horses from the 0.5-acre requirement applied to other large livestock.

Section (6) further stated:

“Horses, stallions, colts, geldings, mares, fillies, mules, jacks and jennies must be kept on an individual tract, lot, or parcel (as defined in the Land Development Code) of at least one acre or more; except that the properties and facilities of Louisville Zoo, the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Police Department, Churchill Downs, and the Kentucky Derby Museum shall be exempt from this requirement.”
Notably, goats, kids, sheep, ponies, and miniature horses were not included in this acreage requirement, meaning they were legally permitted on smaller urban properties.

This framework was clear, intentional, and long-standing. It was not a loophole. It was written law.

 
What the Ordinance Now Says
Under Ordinance No. 178-2025 (effective October 2025), the exemption language was removed.

The ordinance now states:

“Goats, kids and sheep must be kept on an individual tract, lot or parcel of at least 0.5 acres.”
And separately:

“Horses, stallions, colts, geldings, mares, fillies, ponies, miniature horses, mules, jacks and jennies must be kept on at least 1 acre or more.”
There are no exemptions.
There is no grandfather clause.

Animals that were legal for years are now suddenly considered non-compliant based solely on lot size — despite no change in care, housing, or welfare.

 
A Critical Flaw: This Ordinance Measures Land — Not Animal Welfare
This ordinance does not regulate enclosure size, housing quality, access to shelter, veterinary care, enrichment, cleanliness, or humane conditions.

It regulates only the size of the tract or lot on which the animal lives.

This creates a fundamentally illogical and inequitable outcome:

An animal could be kept on a 0.25-acre lot or a 1-acre lot
In the same exact enclosure
With the same square footage
The same shelter
The same veterinary care
The same enrichment
And the same quality of life
Yet under this ordinance:

One animal would be illegal
The other would be legal
Nothing about the animal’s actual well-being changes — only the arbitrary size of the surrounding property.

This ordinance does not evaluate animal welfare.
It does not improve care standards.
It does not protect animals.

It measures land — and nothing more.

 
How This Affects Louisville Residents
This ordinance impacts far more than one household or one organization.

It affects:

Families with Beloved Animals
Families who have responsibly and legally cared for goats, sheep, or miniature horses — sometimes for over a decade — are now being told their animals may be illegal through no wrongdoing of their own.

Urban Farmers and Homesteaders
Small-scale livestock supports food security, sustainability, and education. This ordinance threatens those efforts without addressing care, welfare, or conditions.

4-H Families and Youth Agricultural Programs
Children and teens involved in 4-H and similar programs rely on small-scale animal husbandry to learn responsibility, compassion, and proper care. These opportunities are now at risk.

Animal Rescues and Caregivers
Caregivers and rescues who take in animals with special needs, injuries, or no other placement options may be forced to stop helping animals entirely.

 
Animal Lives Are Now at Risk
When laws change without warning and without grandfathering:

Animals are surrendered
Animals are displaced
Animals are abandoned
Animals are euthanized when no placement can be found
Animals do not understand zoning codes or acreage requirements.
They only know their homes and the people who love them.

This ordinance treats living beings as violations — instead of lives.

 
How This Happened Matters
These livestock changes were:

Buried inside an ordinance primarily focused on microchipping cats and dogs
Not publicly presented as a livestock ordinance rewrite
Not clearly communicated to affected owners
Importantly, this concern has been acknowledged directly by Metro Council.

In written communication from Councilwoman Jennifer Chappell’s Legislative Assistant, the following was stated:

“First, I want to apologize because this oversight did have consequences, and I understand your concern. We did not realize these sections were being changed as part of this amendment. The motivation behind the amendment was to address the overcrowding crisis at Metro Animal Services. There were several internal meetings that spanned over a year with other Metro Council offices, County Attorneys, and leadership at MAS about this ordinance which we discussed in length—microchipping, breeders/breeding, fees, and other items that were directly related to stray animals, mainly dogs. We are investigating to find who added the changes for livestock animals, at what point it was added, and the motivation behind it.”
This acknowledgment confirms that:

The livestock changes were not the intended focus
They were not knowingly advanced by all sponsors
And their inclusion has had real, unintended consequences
 
What We Are Asking For
We respectfully and urgently call on Louisville Metro Council to:

Revisit and amend the livestock provisions in Ordinance No. 178-2025
Restore reasonable exemptions for responsible backyard livestock keeping
Grandfather in existing animals, so families and caregivers are not forced into immediate non-compliance
Commit to transparency and public notice for future ordinance changes impacting animals
 
Why This Matters Now
If this ordinance stands as written:

Families will lose beloved animals
Rescues will be forced to close or turn animals away
Educational and agricultural opportunities will disappear
Animals who were once safe will be placed in danger
Compassion should never become illegal overnight.

We are asking to be heard.
We are asking for fairness.
We are asking for animal lives to be protected.