Solano County, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Breed ban in county code
- None
- Regulation basis
- Animal behavior, not breed (Ch. 4, Art. IV)
- State limit
- CA Food & Ag Code sec. 31683 bars breed-specific dog programs
- Narrow exception
- Spay/neuter or breeding only (Health & Safety Code 122331)
- Applies to
- All breeds equally
Summary
Solano County's animal code (Chapter 4) contains no breed-specific ban or restriction. Dangerous and vicious animals are regulated by behavior, not by breed. Under California Food and Agricultural Code section 31683, local dog-control programs cannot be breed-specific, except for spay/neuter or breeding programs allowed by Health and Safety Code section 122331.
(a) A person who owns or keeps an animal and who allows, permits or causes the animal to be at large in or upon a public street, sidewalk, park, or other public property or in or upon the premises or private property of another person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if the animal bites, attacks or causes injury to any human being or other animal. (b) Any person convicted under this section shall not own or keep the type of animal which caused the bite, attack or injury for a three (3) year period after the date of conviction.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1868, passed April 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
There is no breed-specific legislation in unincorporated Solano County. Chapter 4 of the County Code, including Article IV on Dangerous Animals, regulates animals based on conduct - whether an animal has bitten, attacked, injured, or threatened a person or another animal - and not on breed. The definitions of 'dangerous animal,' 'potentially dangerous animal,' and 'vicious animal' in sections 4-11 and 4-50 turn entirely on the animal's behavior and the owner's knowledge, with no mention of pit bulls, Rottweilers, or any specific breed. California law constrains what counties may do here: Food and Agricultural Code section 31683 provides that, except as allowed by Health and Safety Code section 122331, no program regulating dogs may be specific as to breed.
The narrow exception in section 122331 permits a city or county to adopt breed-specific requirements only for mandatory spay/neuter or breeding programs - not for ownership bans. Solano County has not been identified as having adopted such a breed-specific spay/neuter ordinance in Chapter 4. As a result, owners of any breed are subject to the same dangerous-animal and licensing rules, applied according to the individual animal's behavior.
Violations & Fines
Because regulation is behavior-based, enforcement follows the dangerous-animal process: an animal that bites, attacks, or injures may be declared potentially dangerous or dangerous after a hearing (sections 4-52 through 4-55) and made subject to conditions such as secure confinement, muzzling, microchipping, liability insurance, and spay/neuter, or ordered destroyed - regardless of breed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are pit bulls or other specific breeds banned in unincorporated Solano County?
Can the county still regulate my dog if it is aggressive?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Solano County
How Solano County compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Solano County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.