Whittier, CA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Whittier imposes no breed ban. The city adopts LA County Code Title 10 (Whittier MC 6.04.020), and the relevant chapter, LA County Code 10.37 (Potentially Dangerous and Vicious Dogs), is entirely behavior-based. A "potentially dangerous dog" is defined by conduct, for example, a dog that twice within 36 months requires a defensive action to prevent injury off the owner's property, or that bites a person without provocation. A "vicious dog" includes a dog trained to fight or one that, unprovoked, inflicts severe injury on or kills a person. None of these definitions reference a breed. This tracks California Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683, which lets local governments regulate dangerous and vicious dogs but bars any program that is specific to a breed (other than narrow spay/neuter or breeding rules). A dog found potentially dangerous or vicious through LA County's hearing process can be subject to confinement, signage, leash and muzzle, and other conditions, or in serious cases removal, but those consequences attach to the individual dog's record, not to its breed.