Tulare does NOT ban or restrict any dog breed. California Food & Ag. Code § 31683 prohibits cities and counties from declaring any breed (including pit bulls) 'potentially dangerous' or 'vicious' based on breed alone — those determinations must rest on individual dog behavior under Cal. Food & Ag. Code §§ 31602–31683. The same statute does, however, permit breed-specific mandatory spay/neuter and breeding programs. Tulare Muni Code §§ 6.12.380 et seq. adopt a citywide spay/neuter framework: all dogs and cats in Tulare must be altered unless the owner obtains an 'Unaltered Animal Certification' under § 6.12.410. Licensing is conditioned on proof of spay/neuter or a valid unaltered certificate.
Tulare's animal ordinance (TMC Ch. 6.12) follows the standard California two-track model: (1) breed-neutral dangerous/vicious dog declarations driven by individual behavior, and (2) a citywide spay/neuter mandate. Under TMC § 6.12.380 the City Council expressly found that a spay/neuter program combined with a certification system for unaltered animals is 'a reasonable and effective means of reducing the population of homeless or stray cats and dogs, reducing the need to euthanize healthy cats and dogs, and providing for the health, safety and welfare of the public.' Implementation provisions follow at §§ 6.12.390–6.12.410, including the Unaltered Animal Certification administered by Animal Services. Tulare-area veterinarians confirm that pets residing inside city limits must be spayed or neutered as a precondition of licensing unless the owner pays for and maintains an unaltered-animal certificate. Dangerous-dog hearings are governed by Cal. Food & Ag. Code §§ 31621–31683 (Hearings); a dog declared 'potentially dangerous' must be confined, leashed when off the owner's property, and properly licensed; a 'vicious' determination can result in destruction of the animal.
Owning an unaltered dog or cat without a valid Unaltered Animal Certification violates TMC Ch. 6.12 and bars issuance/renewal of a city license. Penalties include citation fines, license fee surcharges, and impoundment of unlicensed animals. A breed-specific city ban would violate Cal. Food & Ag. Code § 31683 and be unenforceable. Owners of dogs declared potentially dangerous or vicious face confinement, signage, leash/muzzle, and registration requirements under state law, with criminal exposure under Cal. Penal Code § 399 if a dangerous dog injures or kills a person.
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