Stockton limits the number of dogs and cats per household and treats animal hoarding as a public nuisance enforceable through Stockton Animal Services and the City Attorney under SMC Title 6.
Stockton Municipal Code Title 6 caps household pets at four dogs or four cats over four months old without a kennel permit. Hoarding cases (filthy conditions, untreated illness, dead animals on premises) are referred to Stockton Animal Services for impound and to Code Enforcement for nuisance abatement. California Penal Code 597 felony cruelty charges may apply when neglect causes suffering. Hoarders are usually offered surrender options before criminal prosecution but may face permanent bans on owning animals.
Owners exceeding pet limits, or keeping animals in squalid conditions, face citations, animal seizure, kennel permit demands, court-ordered ownership bans, and possible Penal Code 597 charges.
Stockton, CA
Stockton requires all dogs to be on a leash when on any public street, alley, or other public place. The leash must be securely held by a competent person at...
Stockton, CA
Stockton does not have breed-specific legislation banning any particular dog breed. The city regulates individual vicious or dangerous dogs regardless of bre...
See how Stockton's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
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