Garden Grove Breed Restrictions Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Garden Grove follows California's statewide preemption against breed-specific legislation. Food and Agriculture Code Section 31683, enacted in 1989 and strengthened through subsequent amendments, expressly prohibits any California city or county from adopting an ordinance or regulation that declares a dog dangerous or vicious based solely on breed, or that bans or restricts a specific breed. This means Garden Grove has no authority to ban pit bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, or any other breed, and no such breed-specific regulations exist in the Garden Grove Municipal Code.

Instead of breed-based restrictions, Garden Grove relies on behavior-based dangerous dog provisions consistent with state law (FAC Sections 31601-31683). A dog of any breed may be declared potentially dangerous if it has, on two separate occasions within a 36-month period, engaged in behavior that required a person to take defensive action, or has bitten a person without provocation. A dog may be declared vicious if it has aggressively attacked or bitten a person without provocation, or if it was previously declared potentially dangerous and the owner failed to comply with the conditions imposed. These declarations are made through administrative hearings.

Garden Grove contracts with the Orange County Animal Care division for animal services, including licensing, stray pickup, and dangerous dog investigations. All dogs in the city must be licensed annually, vaccinated against rabies, and kept under the owner's control at all times. Owners of dogs declared dangerous or vicious must comply with strict requirements including secure enclosure with escape-proof fencing, liability insurance of at least $100,000, spay/neuter requirements, and muzzling when the dog is in public. Garden Grove's population of approximately 173,000 makes it one of Orange County's largest cities, and the breed-neutral approach ensures fair treatment for all dog owners while protecting public safety.