Chapter 55, Section 5 of Ankeny's Municipal Code states " It is unlawful for a person to keep livestock within the City."
The City's Municipal Code defines livestock as any animal belonging to the bovine, caprine, equine, ovine or porcine species, ostriches, rheas and emus; farm deer as defined in Section 170.1 of the Code of Iowa; or poultry.
The reasons livestock is prohibited within City limits are multiple. They include a lack of code to establish zoning of coops next to residential units as well as noise and smell complaints from caged or penned animals.
The primary reason, however, is that there are no means to "police" livestock should they escape confinement.
The City of Ankeny does not have dedicated animal control officers. Rather, we are contracted with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and they do not have the means to capture, house, or maintain stray livestock. There are also no means to license or register livestock to facilitate returning them to their rightful owners.