Long Beach households could soon be able to legally have two additional pets after the City Council agreed to change an ordinance that would allow up to six pets.

Residents currently can have only four pets in their home. The new ordinance would require approval from the California Coastal Commission and final approval from the City Council.

Under the proposed ordinance, residents would have to fill out an application to go over the four-pet limit. The addition of the vetting process came after some concerns were expressed that the change in the limit could lead to problems in some communities.

“We have so many barking dog complaints in our community and the process to alleviate barking dogs is very burdensome on our neighbors and often causes neighbor disputes,” said Councilwoman Stacy Mungo.

Mungo said that the right to have that many animals should be reserved for responsible animal owners, like those who foster pets. Mungo also worried that allowing so many animals to be kept by one person could increase the instances of neglect.

What that process will look like has yet to be worked out. The ordinance is expected to return to the city attorney’s office where language outlining what parameters could guide the decision to grant a fifth or sixth animal license.

It could take into account past complaints against an owner for issues like dogs barking or animals escaping into the public unattended.

The idea to increase the number of allowable animals was first broached when the city sought changes to its shelter model, which included increasing the number of pets allowed to help clear the shelter and reduce the city’s euthanasia rate.

Long Beach Director of Animal Care Services Staycee Dains said that other municipalities like Sacramento have larger pet limits (10) and that the shelter typically gets calls for issues not tied to how many animals a person has.

“For many people having a pet is a self limiting experience anyway,” Dains said. “Everyone sort of knows their limit. When we respond to complaints we’re not responding to complaints about numbers, it’s about what’s going on inside the home.”

The ordinance could require another set of votes by the council because of the changes requested Tuesday surrounding the approval process for additional pets.