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Council advances miniature-pig ordinance with limits, spay/neuter and setbacks after mixed testimony
Summary
After split public views, the council adopted four amendments to Bill 625 — requiring setbacks, capping pigs at two on large lots, removing a licensing requirement, and requiring spay/neuter — and scheduled the amended bill for Feb. 18 consideration.
The Anne Arundel County Council on Feb. 3 advanced an ordinance (Bill 625) that would reclassify miniature pigs in residential districts from livestock to pets under tightly specified conditions, adopting four amendments the sponsor and administration supported to address neighborhood and animal-welfare concerns.
Councilmember Fiedler, the bill sponsor, said the proposal grew from a constituent case and an effort to allow responsible ownership of miniature pigs while limiting countywide impacts. Administration staff and Animal Care and Control representatives participated in drafting changes. Claudia Roll, Animal Care and Control administrator, and the county’s animal-welfare advisory participants worked with the sponsor on language.
The council adopted Amendment 1 (shelter/enclosure location) requiring pens or shelters to be at least 50 feet from the lot line of a residentially zoned property and at least 100 feet from any occupied dwelling; Amendment 2 limiting miniature pigs to no more than two and raising the minimum lot size to 47,500 square feet; Amendment 3 removing a licensing requirement at Animal Care and Control; and Amendment 4 requiring that miniature pigs be spayed or neutered. Each amendment passed on recorded roll calls (unanimous, 7-0). The bill, as amended, was scheduled for hearing on Feb. 18.
Supporters said the measure would prevent abandonment by providing a lawful path for owners who have already invested in humane care. Jim Leers, a resident and pig owner, urged passage, calling the bill “common sense” and noting amendments would limit possible negative effects. The Animal Welfare Council — a county advisory body that includes veterinarians — testified in support and recommended neutering requirements and limits that were incorporated.
Opponents, including HOAs and the county Realtors association, warned the ordinance would create enforcement problems and conflict with private covenants. Mary Grovan, an HOA manager, testified that many homeowners’ associations have restrictive covenants and that revising HOA documents is expensive and time-consuming; she warned of enforcement challenges and cited experiences elsewhere where reclassified small pigs were later abandoned. Max Gross, speaking for the Anne Arundel County Association of Realtors, opposed the ordinance on the record, citing broad unintended consequences and litigation risks.
The council’s adopted amendments restrict where and under what conditions miniature pigs could be kept: minimum lot size 47,500 sq ft, maximum two pigs per property, distance buffers to neighbors, and a spay/neuter requirement. The council and administration said Animal Care and Control will need minor equipment or protocols to handle pigs humanely if the ordinance becomes law.
The bill (as amended) will return to the council Feb. 18 for further action.
