Fresno County, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing state law
- Cal. Food & Agricultural Code §31683 bars breed-specific programs
- Local ordinance
- Fresno County Code Chapter 9.04, behavior-based only
- Narrow exception
- Health & Safety Code §122331 (breed-specific spay/neuter only)
- Ownership ban after declaration
- 3 years (§9.04.310(H))
- Hearing costs
- Owner reimburses county (§9.04.310(B))
Summary
California law bars Fresno County from banning or restricting dogs by breed. Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 says no program regulating any dog shall be specific as to breed, except for the narrow spay/neuter carve-out in Health and Safety Code Section 122331. The County's own dangerous-dog ordinance, Fresno County Code Chapter 9.04, judges dogs by documented behavior, not breed.
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
Fresno County cannot single out breeds for bans, mandatory muzzling or extra fees. California Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 states that except as provided in Health and Safety Code Section 122331, no program regulating any dog shall be specific as to breed. The same statute confirms counties may run their own "more restrictive" dangerous-dog program layered on top of the state's Potentially Dangerous and Vicious Dogs chapter (commencing with Food and Agricultural Code Section 31601), and Fresno County has done exactly that through Fresno County Code Chapter 9.04, without naming any breed in its operative standard.
Fresno County Code Section 9.04.010(E) defines a "dangerous dog" by conduct, not breed: it must, without provocation, bite, injure, attack or menace a person or another animal, or be kept for dog fighting. Under Section 9.04.300, the sheltermaster or law enforcement may summarily impound any dog meeting that definition pending a hearing. Section 9.04.310 sends the case to a county-appointed hearing officer, who weighs bite history, injury severity, provocation, evidence of training for aggression, and the owner's ability to control the dog before declaring it dangerous. A dog declared dangerous must be humanely destroyed once any court appeal period passes, and its owner is barred from owning, possessing or being in charge of any dog of the type declared dangerous for three years, and must reimburse the county for the hearing costs.
Violations & Fines
Violating Fresno's dangerous-dog rules is an infraction for most failures, such as not surrendering an impounded dog on demand (Section 9.04.300(B)) or not removing a revoked-license dog from the county immediately (Section 9.04.310(F)(1)). A dog declared dangerous must be humanely destroyed once any appeal period lapses. Breed-specific bans, muzzle mandates or fees have no local or state authority at all under Section 31683, so no breed-based penalty can attach in Fresno County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Fresno County ban pit bulls or other breeds?
What happens if my dog is declared dangerous in Fresno County?
Can I get my declared-dangerous dog back or move it out of the county?
Does Fresno County set license fees by breed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
How Fresno County compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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