As a way to help address pet overpopulation in local shelters, Overland Park is making some changes to its city codes aimed at making it easier to have pets and appropriately license them in the city.
These changes follow several months of discussion on the matter after leadership from Great Plains SPCA — the Merriam-based nonprofit animal shelter that houses animals for Overland Park Animal Control — presented the issue to the Overland Park City Council Public Safety Committee.
In April, Tam Singer, the CEO of Great Plains SPCA, said the shelter had experienced a protracted overcrowding problem and suggested a handful of changes to Overland Park city code on pets as a way to alleviate that. Then, earlier this month, the committee recommended approval of an ordinance that formalizes some of those changes.
Earlier this week, the Overland Park City Council unanimously approved an ordinance amending city codes about licensing, permitting and fostering animals. It was part of the consent agenda, so the city council did not individually discuss it before approving it alongside other items.
What are Overland Park’s new pet rules?
With the overpopulation problem in mind, Overland Park has approved a handful of changes to its city animal permitting and licensing codes. The idea, city staff have said, is to make it easier for good pet owners to keep animals in their homes.
One of the primary changes is to allow four total pets in one home under a typical pet license, regardless of whether they’re cats or dogs. Before, pet owners could have two cats and two dogs (a total of four pets), but could not have more than two of any type of animal. This change, in effect, allows someone to have three or four cats or dogs (a total of four pets regardless of type) without needing to obtain a Special Animal Permit.
Another key change is to allow multi-year licenses, enabling pet owners to get one-year, two-year and three-year licenses in line with the longevity of their pet’s rabies vaccination records. Previously, you could only get one-year animal permits.
Overland Park is also looking to make it easier to foster animals in the city, which can take some pressure off animal shelters. Under the new rules, a resident just needs to have the paperwork from a licensed adoption shelter or operation to foster an animal for 180 days or fewer. After that, you would need to get a Special Animal Permit. This eliminates the city’s Animal Foster Home Permit requirement.
Finally, the city put more restrictions on animal breeding operations. Overland Park will require an owner to obtain an Animal Breeder Permit for every animal they want to breed. Under the old city pet code, you would only need to get a permit to breed more than two litters of cats or dogs.
Additionally, the amendments bring in line the animal permit requirements in all parts of the city. Before, annexed portions of Overland Park had separate rules that the city grandfathered in from pre-annexation.
Find the amended ordinance here.
Animal shelter capacity is a problem across Johnson County
While Overland Park is taking steps to address pet overpopulation with the amended ordinance, the problem is a growing concern in the wider United States. According to a 2024 report from Hill’s Pet Nutrition, U.S animal shelters are facing “an ongoing capacity crisis.”
Johnson County isn’t immune to the problem, either. Great Plains SPCA reportedly took in about 1,500 more animals last year than the year before, while also seeing a drop in adoptions.
“We face constant, constant capacity issues, and it’s very stressful because then the animals are very stressed because they’re staying much longer,” Singer previously told the Post.
Beyond municipal policy changes, some have started looking at other possible solutions. For instance, the Spay & Neuter Collaborative of Kansas City started offering spay and neuter services for cats and dogs for free a couple of years ago.
Animal shelters, pet groups and officials have also pushed pet owners to ensure their animals are microchipped and that their microchip information is up to date. That can make it easier to reconnect pets with their families if they do get lost, since many veterinarian offices and shelters have equipment to scan those chips.
Additionally, in the city of Olathe, city leaders have cited capacity issues as one of the major factors that have led it to build a new, larger animal shelter facility to replace its outdated facility by 2027. The new facility, which is anticipated to cost around $19 million, is expected to be roughly six times the size of the current shelter.
Keep reading: Maxed to capacity, Johnson County animal shelters urge people to microchip their pets
