City pet ordinance(s) (Fargo, Bismarck: crime, townhome, buying)

[Milleflower]

Hi all, we are a retired couple looking to move to one of the Dakota's, makes no difference which. Problem is I have a mini horse (no bigger than a dog) & a handful of pet chickens (no roosters). This makes things complicated at best. Many cities/towns do not allow livestock type of pets even if they are fairly lenient with cats/dogs (we have one of each of those too)
Would love input on any & all cities/towns/with reasonable ordinances. Even if you know of a location that does NOT allow, at least I would be able to weed those out right off the top.
Thanks in advance

[Dewey59]

My guess is that you would most likely be ok in some of the smaller towns. Big cities like Fargo, Rapid City, etc. are likely to have ordinances. That is just a guess - I have no direct knowledge. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I would focus on communities of less than 1000 people that are far away from the bigger cities. You may also wish to consider a rural acreage near a bigger city if the budget allows.

If you don't mind me asking, why on Earth would you want to move to one of the Dakotas? If budget is a factor, you might be better off in SD, or eastern ND. Western ND is still pretty expensive because of the oil boom - it's better than it was, but still higher than the eastern half.

[dutchinnd]

Fargo is out--no farm animals in city limits
There isn't any distinction made for miniature horses, and they're still wrangling over urban chickens. I think that West Fargo has also said no.
Just one caveat on rural acreages near the bigger cities--both the Bismarck & Fargo areas are dealing with large amounts of growth. That can mean that within a few years a rural acreage is no longer rural and can be facing large special assessments as the water & sewer infrastructure is put in.

[Milleflower]

Thanks for the replies, funny you mention communities under 1000, as that's what we're in now! (500) The powers that be are fairly laid back, they don't enforce too much unless there's direct complaints. We are in the city limits,- however on the edge of town with no residential area on 3 sides of us. The closest neighbor on 4th side is next block over. We have 2 acres. All this is ideal for my needs, but we crave change.

I'm from NE Montana originally so I'm used to the cold, hubby not so much but he'll adjust (he's from Missouri). We don't hate the area we're in, it's pleasant enough & safe. We were only here for job but now retired. I've disliked the heat/ humidity here in Kansas/Missouri forever, & long to just get a bit higher & dryer again. I don't need to be back in MT, not affordable for us anyway, but the Dakotas would fit the bill. I've read SD is good for retirees tax-wise.
Crime isn't a factor here in our community yet, but its beginning to filter in from populous crime-ridden surrounding areas. Safety is a top priority for us.
Thanks for the tip on western N.D. From what I've seen in the way of properties, your right. Same is true for western S.D, except there your paying through the nose for scenic beauty rather than oil booms.
Our budget isn't much unfortunately. We'd feel most comfortable keeping under $200,000. We don't necessarily need to sell this before buying something else, but preferable. At our age, we cannot commit to any type of major 'fixer-upper', what we buy needs to be in great shape straight away. This budget simply may not be possible anywhere in the Dakota's, but I'm on a mission to find out for sure!
Spouse is ready to get into a safe senior living or townhome type of thing with no responsibilities or maintenance, but that's not possible unless I give away my critters too bad we couldn't do what he wants, & find a boarder for my pets on a farm outside of town haha
I do realize in either one of the Dakota's, we aren't going to get as much for the money in comparison to where we are now unfortunately, plus the col is slightly higher up there, but I feel the quality of life & familiarity would make up for it.
Excellent point dutchinnd, about the big city growth, something to keep in mind, and I guess Fargo is off the list.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by Milleflower

Hi all, we are a retired couple looking to move to one of the Dakota's, makes no difference which. Problem is I have a mini horse (no bigger than a dog) & a handful of pet chickens (no roosters). This makes things complicated at best. Many cities/towns do not allow livestock type of pets even if they are fairly lenient with cats/dogs (we have one of each of those too)
Would love input on any & all cities/towns/with reasonable ordinances. Even if you know of a location that does NOT allow, at least I would be able to weed those out right off the top.
Thanks in advance

Minot would be out.

[Dewey59]

OK, thanks for explaining your reasons for wanting to go to the Dakotas. I think you can do quite well with 200k east of the Missouri River in either state - especially in the smaller towns. Get on Zillow and start searching. Once you zero in on some areas, you can start calling the towns to ask about animal ordinances. I'm betting it's ok in most smaller towns. Also, I believe you are right that SD would have a friendlier tax environment. As I recall, there is no state income tax in SD. If you focus on areas within 20 - 30 miles of bigger cities, you would be close to medical, shopping, etc.