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

We reviewed Modoc County Code Chapter 6.02 (Dog Control) and found no breed-specific ban and no breed-based license fee or insurance requirement. The County's dog rules are conduct-based: they address licensing and rabies vaccination, running at large, and dangerous behavior, regardless of breed. The dangerous-dog provisions (Sections 6.02.103 through 6.02.108) adopt the statewide framework, defining 'potentially dangerous dog' and 'vicious dog' by reference to a dog's conduct and to the California Food and Agricultural Code (for example, Sections 31602, 31604, and related sections) and Penal Code provisions, not by breed. This is consistent with California Food & Agricultural Code Section 31683, which provides that, except for breed-specific spay/neuter programs authorized under Health & Safety Code Section 122331, 'no program regulating any dog shall be specific as to breed.' In other words, California prohibits local breed-specific dangerous-dog ordinances but allows counties to require breed-specific sterilization. Modoc County has not adopted any breed-specific spay/neuter ordinance in its published code. A dog that behaves dangerously is handled through the potentially-dangerous/vicious-dog hearing process (Section 6.02.104), which turns on the dog's actions rather than its breed.