Tehama County, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Tehama County Code Ch. 7.30
- Basis for designation
- Behavior, not breed
- Process
- Superior Court petition
- Vicious-dog owner
- Barred from dogs 3 years
Summary
Unincorporated Tehama County has no breed-specific dog ordinance: dogs are declared potentially dangerous or vicious individually, through a Superior Court process, based on documented behavior rather than breed.
The purpose of this chapter is to establish a program for the control of potentially dangerous and vicious dogs within the unincorporated area of the county that incorporates Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 31601) of Division 14 of the Food and Agricultural Code. This chapter does not apply to humane society shelters, the county animal shelter, or veterinarians, or to dogs while utilized by any police department or any law enforcement officer in the performance of police work.
(Ord. 1633 § 9(part), 1994)
(Ord. No. 2144, §§ 9, 10, 12-17-2024)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 7.30 of the Tehama County Code, incorporating Food and Agricultural Code Section 31601 et seq., lets the director of animal regulation petition the superior court to designate a specific dog potentially dangerous or vicious after an unprovoked bite or attack: never by breed. A potentially dangerous dog must be licensed, vaccinated, and kept indoors, in a secure enclosure, or on a leash under six feet; a vicious dog's owner can be barred from owning any dog for three years. This applies only within the unincorporated area of the county, not Red Bluff, Corning, or the City of Tehama.
Violations & Fines
A dog judicially or consensually designated vicious or potentially dangerous that then bites, attacks or injures a person unprovoked makes the owner guilty of a misdemeanor under § 7.30.090.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tehama County ban pit bulls or other breeds?
What happens to a dog declared vicious?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tehama County
How Tehama County compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Tehama County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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