Redlands, CA Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

Redlands addresses animal hoarding through a combination of its own limits and state cruelty law. The household cap of three adult dogs and three adult cats in Municipal Code section 18.40.040(G) directly limits the kind of overcrowding that leads to hoarding in standard residential zones, and Animal Services enforces care and nuisance standards. The most serious cases are handled under state law. California Penal Code section 597 makes it a crime to deprive an animal of necessary food, water, or shelter, or to subject an animal to needless suffering; when the number of animals compromises their health and safety through overcrowding, that conduct can be charged as animal cruelty - the legal basis for prosecuting hoarding. Penal Code 597 is a 'wobbler' that can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, with penalties up to one year in county jail (misdemeanor) or up to three years in prison (felony). Penal Code section 597.1 addresses the failure to care for animals and gives local officers and veterinarians authority to seize neglected animals, hold hearings, recover costs, and seek forfeiture. In practice, a Redlands hoarding or severe-neglect case is handled by Redlands Animal Services together with police, using the pet-limit and nuisance authority of the city code plus the cruelty and seizure powers of state law.