Imperial County, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

There is no breed-specific ban identified for unincorporated Imperial County. California law strongly discourages breed-based bans: Food & Agricultural Code section 31683 lets cities and counties regulate dangerous dogs but generally prohibits ordinances that are specific to a breed for purposes of declaring an individual dog dangerous, and state Food & Agricultural Code section 122331 bars breed-specific licensing or ownership rules (cities and counties may adopt breed-specific spay/neuter or breeding programs, but not breed bans on ownership). Instead, Imperial County and the state rely on a behavior-based framework. Under Food & Agricultural Code sections 31601-31683, any dog of any breed can be declared 'potentially dangerous' or 'vicious' based on its conduct - for example, biting a person or repeatedly threatening people or animals off the owner's property. A dog found potentially dangerous must be licensed, vaccinated, securely confined and leashed off-property; a vicious-dog finding can lead to stricter controls. So the practical rule is the same for every breed: control your dog and prevent bites and aggression. If you live in an incorporated city, check that city's ordinance, but the state ban on breed-specific ownership rules applies countywide.