Burbank residents will now be able to own or foster more dogs or cats in their home without having to apply for a special permit.

The Burbank City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to redefine the city’s definition of a kennel so that those who temporarily foster several pets at a time can do so without being regulated as such a facility.

The amended city code will state that a kennel will be defined as a facility with five or more dogs, cats or a combination of the two. This means that residents who are not looking to operate a kennel can have up to four of those pets in their household.

Police Capt. Eric Deroian explained to council members the municipal code previously defined a kennel as a facility where four or more dogs, cats or a combination of the two animals are kept.

Pet stores that sell animals on behalf of a registered rescue organization, a pet adoption agency or a public animal shelter are excluded from the kennel designation.

Kennel operators are required to have a business license and the appropriate permits to do so, Deroian said.

“Currently, Burbank is behind in terms of pet limitations,” Burbank resident Samantha Wick said. “The current limitation of three [pets], I think, is just not feasible for today’s active lifestyle.”

Deroian said that he agreed with Wick, explaining that Glendale allows its residents to keep up to two dogs and three cats in a home, while Los Angeles County allows up to four dogs and five cats in a household.

The proposal to raise the limit on the number of pets in a household from three to four, Deroian said, would help Burbank get up to speed on the number of pets per household.

“Staff believes that the proposed one pet increase will not create an undue burden on resources and may have a positive effect on the ability of residents to adopt animal shelter pets,” according to a city staff report.

Councilwoman Sharon Springer asked Deroian if other pets, such as a desert tortoise, would be counted toward the total number of pets in a household.

The police captain said that tortoises are not allowed to be kept as pets in the city. However, he added that he was unaware of any enforcement of that code.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio