Rialto does not have a standalone animal-hoarding chapter; cases are charged under California Penal Code § 597 (animal cruelty) and § 597f (failure to care), combined with Rialto Municipal Code Title 6 (excess animals/public nuisance) and Title 8 (Health & Sanitation). Convicted hoarders are barred from owning animals for 5 years (misdemeanor) or 10 years (felony) under Cal. Penal Code § 597.9.
California Penal Code § 597 prohibits maliciously or negligently depriving an animal of necessary sustenance, drink, shelter or veterinary care — the core statute used to prosecute hoarding cases. Penal Code § 597f authorizes peace officers to seize and impound neglected animals, and § 597.9 imposes a post-conviction ownership ban: 5 years following a misdemeanor and 10 years following a felony, with $1,000 fines per violation. Rialto Municipal Code Title 6 caps animals per household (typically a small combined number of dogs/cats without a kennel permit) and lets Community Compliance abate any property where animals are kept in unsanitary, overcrowded conditions. Title 8 (Health & Sanitation) and the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health vector-control code provide additional abatement authority for ammonia, feces accumulation and vermin associated with hoarding.
Hoarding-related cruelty is a wobbler under Cal. Penal Code § 597 (up to 3 years state prison + $20,000 fine). Post-conviction possession bans apply (§ 597.9). Rialto can separately seize animals exceeding household limits and abate unsanitary premises under Title 6 / Title 8.
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