San Clemente, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Breed-specific ban
- None; conduct-based only
- Vicious-dog court fine
- Up to $1,000 per basis
- Potentially-dangerous fine
- Up to $500 per basis
- Appeal window
- 10 days to request hearing
- Possible ownership ban
- Up to 3 years, vicious dogs
Summary
San Clemente has no breed-specific ban. Instead, Chapter 6.20 lets the Coastal Animal Services Authority declare any dog 'potentially dangerous' or 'vicious' based on its own conduct, applying the standards in California Food and Agriculture Code Sections 31602 and 31603.
A dog is "potentially dangerous" if it is found to have engaged in any of the following, per California Food and Agriculture Code section 31602:1.A dog that on two separate occasions within the prior 36 month period, engages in any unprovoked behavior that requires a defensive action by a person to prevent bodily injury to a person, domestic animal, or livestock, off the property of the owner or custodian of the dog;2.A dog that, when unprovoked, bites a person or otherwise engages in behavior causing a less serious injury than as defined as a "severe injury" in this title; or3.A dog that, when unprovoked, has killed, seriously bitten, inflicted injury, or otherwise caused injury to a domestic animal or livestock of the property of the owner or custodian of the dog.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Traffic: Supplement 30 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
020 defines a 'potentially dangerous' dog by conduct, not breed, tracking state law at Food and Agriculture Code Section 31602: a dog that twice in 36 months engages in unprovoked behavior requiring a defensive action to prevent injury off its owner's property, a dog that unprovoked bites or causes a less-than-severe injury, or one that unprovoked kills or injures another domestic animal or livestock off its owner's property. A 'vicious' dog under Section 31603 is one that unprovoked inflicts severe injury or death on a person, or one already listed as potentially dangerous that continues the behavior after notice.
This tracks California's general prohibition on breed-based dog regulation; San Clemente's code contains no provision singling out any breed. 57, or exigent circumstances. 060. 120 lists exceptions: no dangerous-dog finding applies if the injured party was trespassing, committing a crime, or provoking the dog, or if the dog was defending someone from attack.
Violations & Fines
Section 6.20.130 makes any Chapter 6.20 violation a misdemeanor. A court finding a dog potentially dangerous can impose a fine up to $500 per basis for the finding under Section 6.20.080(J); a vicious-dog finding carries a fine up to $1,000 per basis under Section 6.20.090(F), plus possible euthanasia and up to a three-year ban on owning any dog under Section 6.20.090(G). Violating release conditions is itself a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 or six months in county jail under Section 6.20.100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does San Clemente ban pit bulls or other specific breeds?
Who decides if a dog is potentially dangerous?
Can I appeal a dangerous dog determination?
What happens if a dog is found vicious?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Clemente
How San Clemente compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare San Clemente to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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How other cities in Orange County handle breed restrictions.