Clark County reaches hoarding through its cruelty and minimum-care rules: it is unlawful to neglect or fail to provide adequate food, water, shelter, space, and veterinary care to any animal in your custody. Over-limit dog counts also trigger kennel licensing.
CCC 8.11.070 makes it unlawful to neglect or fail to provide "minimum care" — including, in each 24-hour period, food of sufficient quantity and quality and adequate access to potable water, weatherproof shelter, necessary veterinary care, and confinement space with room for exercise and rest kept reasonably clean. These standards are how hoarding situations, where animals lack food, water, space, or care, are enforced. Keeping more than five adult dogs inside the urban growth boundary (or nine outside) also makes the property an unlicensed kennel under CCC 8.01.020(19). Animal control may impound neglected animals under Chapter 8.19.
Cruelty/neglect under CCC 8.11.070 is a misdemeanor per CCC 8.19.020 — up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine — plus impoundment of the animals and possible additional state animal-cruelty charges under RCW 16.52.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
clark-county-wa
Clark County encourages backyard composting and runs free workshops, We Compost community food-waste hubs, and a Composter Recycler program. Optional every-o...
clark-county-wa
Clark County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf, and homeowners may install it in their yards. In development-regulated landscaping, county...
clark-county-wa
Clark County actively encourages native landscaping. Its development code favors compatibility with existing native vegetation and drought-resistant planting...
clark-county-wa
Rainwater harvesting is legal in Clark County and statewide. Washington's Department of Ecology exempts on-site rooftop rainwater collection from water-right...
clark-county-wa
Clark County itself imposes no countywide lawn-watering schedule. Water is delivered by local utilities and districts, chiefly Clark Public Utilities, which ...
clark-county-wa
Washington's RCW 17.10 requires every property owner to eradicate Class A noxious weeds and control designated Class B and listed Class C weeds. The Clark Co...
See how Clark County's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.