Controlled Livestock Grazing Permit

The City of Dubuque’s Controlled Livestock Grazing Program governs the use of goats and sheep for a limited duration to clear vegetation from land.  This targeted grazing is becoming increasingly useful as an environmentally-sensitive alternative to chemical herbicides and mechanical methods of clearing land, especially in areas with difficult geography, or where invasive species have become an issue. 

The City of Dubuque Code of Ordinances prohibits owning or keeping livestock within the City of Dubuque.  The Controlled Livestock Grazing Program is a limited exception that allows sheep and goats to remain in the City on a temporary basis, for no more than thirty days and no more than once annually, on a specific property, for the sole purpose of clearing vegetation on land, provided that the contractor obtains the proper permitting and other requirements of the Controlled Livestock Grazing Program.

View the Controlled Livestock Grazing Program rules.

Contractors must hold a current Controlled Grazing Permit to operate within city limits. The Contractor must also notify the City at least 48 hours prior to beginning service at a new address through completing the Property Contact Information Notice. Completed forms and a site plan can be returned to Pam McCarron at pmccarro@cityofdubuque.org or by mail to the City Clerk’s Office, 50 W. 13th St., Dubuque, IA 52001.

goatscaping