Merced County, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Merced County Code § 7.04.292 replaces breed profiling with a case-by-case dangerous/vicious dog process. When an animal control officer or law enforcement officer finds probable cause that a dog is potentially dangerous or vicious, the director of animal control petitions the Merced County Superior Court for a hearing, held five to ten working days after the owner is served notice. The hearing is a limited civil case without a jury, decided on a preponderance of the evidence, and the officer may seize and impound the dog first if it poses an immediate threat to public safety, at the owner's expense.

A dog found 'potentially dangerous' must be licensed, microchipped, and vaccinated before release; kept indoors or in a securely fenced yard the dog cannot escape and children cannot enter; muzzled and on a leash no longer than six feet whenever off the owner's property; and, within 60 days, must complete an animal-control-approved obedience course. The owner may also be required to carry $300,000 in liability insurance and put a bright fluorescent yellow collar on the dog. Owners pay a fine of up to $500 per basis for a potentially dangerous designation and up to $1,000 per basis for a vicious designation, and a vicious dog may be destroyed by animal control if the court finds it would pose a significant threat to public safety. Designations lapse automatically after 36 months with no further incidents. An owner or petitioner may appeal an adverse determination to the Superior Court within five days of the ruling for a $20 filing fee, and the appeal is heard de novo without a jury.