Merced has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but it controls excessive animals through lot-size pet limits (Sec. 6.04.065), kennel/cattery permits (Sec. 6.04.270), the animal-nuisance abatement process (Sec. 6.04.280), and the proper-care duty (Sec. 6.04.100). California Penal Code 597 covers neglect/cruelty.
The Merced Municipal Code does not contain a section titled "animal hoarding," but several Chapter 6.04 provisions together address the conditions hoarding creates. First, the lot-size caps in Section 6.04.065 limit dogs and cats per parcel (five each maximum on large single-family lots, one each on small lots and multifamily units), so keeping large numbers is itself a violation. Second, keeping more than five dogs or five cats makes the home a kennel or cattery (Sec. 6.04.010U and 6.04.010H) requiring an annual permit, inspection, and minimum care standards under Section 6.04.270; failure to meet those standards is grounds for permit denial or revocation. Third, the animal-nuisance definition (Sec. 6.04.010D) expressly includes unsanitary conditions, accumulated fecal waste or urine odor, and "offense or danger to public health, safety, or welfare by virtue of the number or types of animals maintained" - language aimed squarely at hoarding-type conditions - which the city can abate, including impoundment, after a hearing under Section 6.04.280 and 6.04.300. Fourth, Section 6.04.100 requires every owner to provide adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care and to keep enclosures sanitary. Beyond the city code, California Penal Code Section 597 makes animal cruelty and neglect a crime, which is the principal state tool used in severe hoarding cases. Together these give Merced animal control the means to intervene even without a dedicated hoarding ordinance.
Excess animals beyond Sec. 6.04.065 limits, unpermitted kennels/catteries, unsanitary or overcrowded conditions (Sec. 6.04.280), and failure to provide proper care (Sec. 6.04.100) are enforced through impoundment and penalties under Chapter 1.12. Severe neglect can be prosecuted as cruelty under California Penal Code 597.
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