Indio, CA Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

Indio's adopted Animal Control Ordinance (Chapter 92, from Riverside County Title 6) does not contain a standalone "animal hoarding" section, but several provisions function to limit hoarding. First, the licensing thresholds: anyone keeping five or more dogs needs a kennel license and five or more cats needs a cattery license (Indio-amended), and the department may cap the number of animals and inspect the premises. Second, Indio added a new provision (§ 6.12.150, via Ord. 1631) making it an offense for any owner, driver, or keeper of an animal to permit the animal to be in any building, enclosure, lane, street, square, or lot within the City without proper care or attention; penalties escalate from a $100 infraction (first offense) to a $200 infraction (second), with third and further violations a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both, and a first offense may be charged as a misdemeanor. Each day is a separate offense. Animal Services can also seize neglected or suffering animals. Overarching all of this is California Penal Code § 597, the state animal-cruelty statute, which makes neglect, abandonment, and failure to provide proper care a crime statewide and is the primary tool used in serious hoarding cases.