The Village Board discussed updates to Riverside’s animal keeping standards Thursday and directed staff to prepare draft ordinance changes to extend the village’s existing rules for outdoor animals (dogs, cats, hens, bees) to other domesticated animals kept outdoors and to add a licensing option for nonstandard domestic animals.

Assistant Village Manager Ashley Monroe opened the discussion by noting the village’s current limits — “up to five dogs and cats,” a limit of four hens with no roosters, and two beehives — and that the municipal code does not cap other animals such as ducks, rabbits, reptiles or other common household pets. Monroe described complaints and specific enforcement instances that prompted the review.

Trustees and staff repeatedly framed the conversation around nuisance prevention, disease and pest attraction, appropriate shelter and building construction for outdoor animals. Trustee Evans urged applying comparable standards to animals kept outdoors; one trustee said extending hen regulations to ducks would be straightforward because outdoor housing, food storage and waste management are similar. The transcript records that an attendee referenced the Federal Migratory Bird Act when distinguishing wild from domesticated birds.

The board’s guidance: 1) use the existing regulatory framework applied to dogs, cats and hens as a model for other domesticated animals that are kept outdoors or have outdoor access; 2) require licensing for animals outside the current enumerated categories (a single “other domestic animal” license was suggested by staff); and 3) add explicit code language about food storage, waste management and shelter during extreme weather. Assistant Manager Monroe confirmed staff will draft proposed ordinance language and return to the board for review.

Ending: Board members emphasized that current incidents are isolated, enforcement tools exist, and the board preferred a pragmatic, preventive code update with licensing rather than a large, immediate overhaul.