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

Unincorporated Trinity County does not ban or restrict any dog breed such as pit bulls or Rottweilers. This follows state law: California Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 provides that, except for a narrow spay/neuter exception, no local program regulating dogs may be specific as to breed. A county may adopt or enforce its own program for potentially dangerous or vicious dogs, but it cannot single out a breed. Trinity County's program is in Trinity County Code Section 6.04.040 (Potentially dangerous and vicious dogs), which targets individual dogs based on their behavior. Under that section, an owner of a dog that has bitten a person may receive written notice from the animal control officer and may surrender the dog, which is kept at the public pound in a separate kennel for not less than ten days; a dog determined to be potentially dangerous or vicious is so designated on the records of the animal regulation unit, and the owner must pay an annual fee in addition to regular licensing and permit fees to cover the increased cost of maintaining records. None of this depends on the dog's breed. Owners of any breed must control their dog and comply with the dangerous-dog rules if their dog has shown aggression.