Ventura, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

California Health & Safety Code §122331 sets the controlling framework: cities and counties may enact 'breed-specific ordinances,' but those ordinances are 'limited to mandatory spay or neuter programs and breeding requirements,' and 'no dog shall be declared potentially dangerous or vicious under those ordinances.' This statutorily preempts traditional breed-specific legislation (BSL) such as pit bull bans or breed-based 'dangerous' designations anywhere in California, including the City of Ventura. Ventura has not adopted a breed-specific mandatory spay/neuter ordinance (some California cities like San Francisco and Riverside County have); dog regulation in the city is breed-neutral and based on individual dog behavior. When a dog bites or attacks in Ventura, VCAS investigates and may petition the hearing officer to declare the specific dog 'potentially dangerous' (Cal. Food & Agric. Code §31602: two unprovoked threatening incidents in 36 months off-property, or an unprovoked bite less severe than vicious, or two unprovoked attacks on domestic animals off-property) or 'vicious' (§31603: severe injury or death, or continued at-large violation while listed potentially dangerous). Designated dogs face confinement, signage, leash/muzzle, microchip, and spay/neuter conditions; vicious dogs may be ordered destroyed. Renters and homeowners in Ventura sometimes face breed restrictions from their landlord or insurance carrier — those are private contracts, not city law.