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Animal Ordinances

The Topeka Police Department Animal Control Unit is responsible for enforcing various city ordinances regarding animals, including:

Topeka Animal Cruelty Ordinance

Topeka Tethering Ordinance

Topeka Vicious Animal Ordinance

Shawnee County Animal Ordinances

To Report Animal Complaints 24 Hours/Day:
Animal Control Dispatcher, 785-368-9203

The officers can issue citations for violations in these cases. They also pick up loose dogs, unlicensed cats, deceased animals and injured animals with no identifiable owner.

Animal Control Officers do not respond to "barking dog" calls. This type of complaint is handled by uniformed police officers.

Animal Control Officers are on duty from 6 am until 8:30 pm in the summer months and from 8 am until 5 pm in the winter months.

For times when an officer is not on duty, there is a call-back procedure but only for cases of an injured, sick, vicious animal or an animal that has bitten someone.

Animals which are picked up by Animal Control Officers are generally taken to the Helping Hands Humane Shelter, 2625 NW Rochester Road.

To claim an animal taken to the Shelter pursuant to charges, such as violation of the leash law or no tags, the owner should contact the Shelter to obtain the number and date of the ticket. The owner then must go, in person to the Animal Control Office to be served with the ticket. The owner has 14 days to either pay the fine(s) or set a court date. In most cases, except cruelty cases or vicious animal violations for example, the animal can be returned to the owner after the ticket is served.

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