San Leandro, CA Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

California's animal cruelty statute, Penal Code §597, is the principal hoarding tool. It makes it a 'wobbler' offense (chargeable as either misdemeanor or felony) to maliciously or intentionally maim, mutilate, torture, or wound a living animal, or to deprive any animal of necessary sustenance, drink, or shelter. Hoarding cases - where the volume of animals causes overcrowding, starvation, untreated disease, or unsanitary conditions - are routinely charged under §597(b) (failure to provide proper care) and §597.1 (failure to care for impounded animals). Misdemeanor convictions carry up to one year in county jail and fines up to $20,000; felony convictions carry 16 months, 2, or 3 years in state prison and up to $20,000 in fines. The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC) clinical definition - accumulation of animals beyond the owner's ability to provide minimum nutritional and veterinary care, with denial of the harm - is used by Alameda County District Attorney prosecutors. Locally, SLMC §4-11-1100 caps a household at two dogs (and two pot-bellied pigs) without further authorization; anything above that requires an Animal Permit from the City. The combination of the dog cap and the Animal Permit threshold gives San Leandro Animal Control an early intervention tool well before §597 prosecution, and works alongside East Bay SPCA in Oakland (the city's shelter partner since January 2021) for seizure and rehoming. §597.1 separately authorizes peace officers and humane officers to enter and seize neglected animals, with the costs of impound charged to the owner.