San Diego County, CA Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

San Diego County does not have a section titled 'animal hoarding,' but the County Code's public-nuisance provisions function as the County's primary tool for hoarding situations. Under County Code section 62.682(c), when the Department of Animal Services determines that a public nuisance exists due to an owner's or custodian's failure to properly control or care for one or more animals, it may require the person to register, impose conditions on any or all animals the person owns or has custody of, and limit the number or type of animals that person may own. Under section 62.682(d), if a person fails to properly control or care for animals or the premises, and is found to pose a risk to the health or safety of the public or animals, the Department may enter a declaration prohibiting that person from owning or having custody of any animal, or a specific type or breed, for up to five years; violating the declaration is unlawful and can trigger a new five-year prohibition. The Department may also summarily abate an immediate threat, including impounding or destroying animals (section 62.682(a)), with notice and hearing rights for the owner. These powers work alongside sanitation requirements (section 62.668), which prohibit unsanitary, fly-breeding, odor-producing, or disease conditions, and California Penal Code section 597, which makes animal cruelty, including neglect that causes pain or suffering, a misdemeanor or felony. Together these provide enforcement against keeping more animals than a person can humanely care for.