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

Moorpark's municipal animal regulations contain no provisions that target specific dog breeds. This approach is fully consistent with California state law: Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 explicitly prohibits any city or county from enacting or enforcing an ordinance that declares a specific dog breed — or dogs of any specific breed — to be dangerous or vicious. The preemption prevents Moorpark from instituting a pit bull ban, a Rottweiler restriction, or any similar breed-specific measure that singles out a breed for prohibition or heightened regulation based solely on breed characteristics. One narrow exception exists — California Health and Safety Code Section 122331 allows localities to enact breed-specific mandatory spay/neuter ordinances — but Moorpark has not adopted any such provision, and all breeds are currently treated identically under both city and county law.

Instead of breed-based rules, Moorpark follows a behavior-based model administered by Ventura County Animal Services, which provides contract animal control services for the city. A dog may be declared potentially dangerous if, on two or more separate occasions within a 36-month period, it has bitten, attacked, or caused physical injury to a person or domestic animal without provocation while off the owner's property, or if it has approached a person in a threatening manner while unprovoked and not confined. A dog may be declared vicious if it has killed or caused severe injury to a person without provocation, or if it was previously declared potentially dangerous and the owner has not complied with all imposed conditions. These determinations follow a formal investigation and, upon owner request, an administrative hearing before a Ventura County hearing officer. The behavioral evaluation framework applies uniformly across all dog breeds — a small mixed-breed terrier is held to exactly the same behavioral standards as a large working-breed dog.

Owners of dogs declared potentially dangerous or vicious in Moorpark must comply with all conditions imposed by Ventura County Animal Services. Standard conditions typically include housing the animal in a locked, escape-proof enclosure when not under the direct control of a responsible adult; posting conspicuous warning signs at all entry points to the property; mandatory spay or neuter of the animal within a specified timeframe; and maintaining a minimum of $100,000 in liability insurance covering bodily injury and property damage caused by the dog. All dogs in Moorpark four months of age and older must be licensed through Ventura County Animal Services and must have a current rabies vaccination on file. Contact Ventura County Animal Services at (805) 388-4341 for licensing, dangerous dog proceedings, or any general animal control inquiries.