Garden Grove, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Basis for restriction
- individual dog conduct, not breed
- Hearing request window
- 5 working days after notice
- Required liability insurance/bond
- $100,000
- Violating declaration conditions
- automatic misdemeanor
- Director's authority
- impound, restrict, or destroy dog
Summary
Garden Grove does not regulate dogs by breed. Instead, Municipal Code Section 6.04.120(B) lets the Director declare an individual dog "vicious" or "potentially dangerous" after a bite, attack, or fighting-related conviction, and then impose conditions like $100,000 liability insurance, secure enclosures, and muzzling, or order the dog impounded or destroyed.
If the Director has cause to believe that a dog is a vicious dog or potentially dangerous dog within the meaning of Section 6.04.010, he or she may tentatively find and declare such dog a "vicious dog" or "potentially dangerous dog." ... The restrictions and conditions may include, but are not limited to: i. Obtaining and maintaining liability insurance in the amount of $100,000.00 against bodily injury or death or damage to property and furnishing a certificate or proof of insurance ... or, at the owner's or custodian's option, the filing with the Director of proof of a bond in the amount of $100,000.00, to be able to respond in damages.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4903654; v10 updated 2026-05-12).
Full Breakdown
010, whenever there is cause to believe the dog meets that definition, such as being seized as a fighting animal after a Penal Code Section 599aa conviction, or unprovoked infliction of severe injury or death on a person. The owner or custodian receives written notice of the tentative declaration and has five working days under (B)(1)(c) to request a hearing before the Director; failing to request one makes the declaration and any restrictions final under (B)(1)(d). Possessing a declared vicious or potentially dangerous dog in violation of the declaration's terms is deemed a public nuisance under (B)(1)(e), and the Director may impound or abate the dog independently of any criminal case, including by destroying it, or by imposing conditions such as $100,000 in liability insurance or an equivalent bond, specific enclosure construction and design requirements, a fixed location for the dog's residence, restraint or muzzling requirements, and permanent photo identification or marking.
Separately, subsection (A) requires anyone keeping a wild, exotic, dangerous, or nondomestic animal, again defined by the Director's own regulation rather than by breed, to first obtain a license from the Director, consistent with the City's zoning rules. 060(B), regardless of whether it is a first offense.
Violations & Fines
Possessing or maintaining a declared vicious or potentially dangerous dog in violation of the Director's restrictions is a public nuisance under Section 6.04.120(B)(1)(e), and any violation of Section 6.04.120(B) is automatically a misdemeanor under Section 6.04.060(B), even on a first offense. The Director may independently impound, abate, or order the destruction of the dog regardless of the outcome of any criminal case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Garden Grove ban specific dog breeds like pit bulls?
What happens after my dog is declared "potentially dangerous" in Garden Grove?
What restrictions can be imposed on a declared vicious dog?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Garden Grove
How Garden Grove compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Garden Grove to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Breed Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle breed restrictions.