Pleasanton, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

No breed of dog is banned in Pleasanton. State law controls this issue: California Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 provides that no city or county program regulating dogs 'shall be specific as to breed,' with a narrow exception (Health and Safety Code Section 122331) that allows breed-specific mandatory spay/neuter or breeding requirements. That means Pleasanton cannot prohibit, license differently, or impose ownership conditions on pit bulls, Rottweilers, or any other breed simply because of breed. Instead, Pleasanton addresses problem dogs by conduct. Chapter 7.20 of the Municipal Code provides a process for declaring a dog 'vicious' - defined as a dog with a propensity to bite humans or other animals - following a hearing where evidence is considered. A dog found vicious is deemed a public nuisance and may be ordered removed from the city, abated, or in serious cases humanely destroyed by order of the hearing officer. The state's broader dangerous and vicious dog framework (Food and Agricultural Code Section 31601 and following) likewise turns on the individual dog's documented behavior, not its breed. Renters and insurers may still impose their own private breed policies, but the city does not.