Ontario, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Local breed ban
- None in Ontario
- State preemption
- Food and Ag. Code Sec. 31683
- Only breed-specific rules allowed
- Spay/neuter and breeding (HSC Sec. 122331)
- Breed cannot be declared dangerous
- By breed alone (HSC Sec. 122331(a))
- Reporting
- Quarterly dog-bite stats to State Public Health Veterinarian
Summary
Ontario does not impose any breed-specific dog ban. California state law (Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683) prohibits any local dog-control program from being breed-specific, except that under Health and Safety Code Section 122331 a city may adopt breed-specific spay/neuter or breeding rules only.
31683. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a city or county from adopting or enforcing its own program for the control of potentially dangerous or vicious dogs that may incorporate all, part, or none of this chapter, or that may punish a violation of this chapter as a misdemeanor or may impose a more restrictive program to control potentially dangerous or vicious dogs. Except as provided in Section 122331 of the Health and Safety Code, no program regulating any dog shall be specific as to breed.
Full Breakdown
No Ontario-specific ordinance bans or restricts any dog breed; the City's dangerous-dog provisions are behavior-based and not breed-based. This follows the California state default, which preempts breed-specific dog bans. Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 provides that a city or county may adopt its own program to control potentially dangerous or vicious dogs, even one more restrictive than state law, but that 'no program regulating any dog shall be specific as to breed,' except as provided in Health and Safety Code Section 122331. That narrow exception (HSC Section 122331) allows cities and counties to enact dog breed-specific ordinances pertaining only to mandatory spay/neuter programs and breeding requirements, and expressly prohibits declaring any breed or mixed breed potentially dangerous or vicious on the basis of breed. Jurisdictions adopting such programs must compile and quarterly report dog-bite statistics to the State Public Health Veterinarian. Ontario regulates dangerous animals through conduct-based rules (see the dangerous-animals row), consistent with this state framework.
Violations & Fines
Because breed-specific bans are preempted by state law, Ontario cannot and does not penalize dogs by breed. Owners of dogs that behave dangerously are instead subject to the City's potentially-dangerous/vicious-dog provisions (OMC Sec. 6-1.214 incorporating Food and Ag. Code Chapter 9), which can require confinement, muzzling, or other controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ontario ban pit bulls or any breed?
Can a California city ever regulate by breed?
How are dangerous dogs handled instead?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ontario
How Ontario compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Ontario to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Breed Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle breed restrictions.