Milpitas, CA Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

Milpitas addresses animal hoarding through a combination of its animal-number limits, humane-treatment provisions, and California cruelty law rather than a stand-alone hoarding ordinance. Municipal Code Section V-210-7.02 caps households at a combined total of four dogs and/or cats over four months old (with no more than one unspayed female) and limits caged indoor birds to 20 and small caged animals to 10, which constrains the accumulation typical of hoarding; keeping animals beyond these limits requires a permit under Section V-210-7.03. Chapter 210 also includes a Humane Treatment of Animals section (Section V-210-6) governing the care owners must provide. The principal legal tool against neglect is California Penal Code Section 597, which makes it a crime to deprive an animal of necessary sustenance, drink, or shelter, to subject an animal to needless suffering, or to fail to provide proper food, drink, shelter, or protection from the weather. Violations can be charged as misdemeanors or felonies, with penalties up to a $20,000 fine and jail or state prison, plus animal forfeiture and possible bans on future ownership - the conditions of severe hoarding (many animals lacking adequate food, water, or sanitation) fall squarely within this statute. Suspected hoarding or neglect in Milpitas can be reported to San Jose Animal Care and Services, which handles cruelty complaints for the City (408-794-7297).