Unincorporated Riverside County requires mandatory spaying or neutering of pit bull breeds. Under the County Code (Section 6.08.125, adopted via Ordinance No. 921), no person may own or possess a pit bull over four months of age that has not been spayed or neutered, with limited exemptions such as registered breeders and assistance dogs.
Riverside County does not ban any dog breed, but it imposes a breed-specific sterilization mandate. Codified at County Code Section 6.08.125 and adopted through Ordinance No. 921 (which the Board of Supervisors approved in 2013), the rule requires that pit bull breeds in the unincorporated areas be spayed or neutered. "Pit bull" is defined to include the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, and American Staffordshire Terrier, or any mixed breed dog that contains one of these breeds as an element of its breeding. The core prohibition states that no person shall own or possess a pit bull over the age of four months that has not been spayed or neutered, except as provided in the ordinance's exemption subsection. Recognized exemptions include pit bulls owned by registered/licensed breeders, dogs used by law enforcement, assistance dogs, dogs with veterinary certification that the procedure would jeopardize the animal's health, pit bulls in training at licensed kennels that are licensed in another jurisdiction, and dogs pending a breed determination. The County's general Ordinance 630 separately requires spay/neuter or an unaltered-dog license for all dogs and cats, and treats potentially dangerous, dangerous, or vicious animals under Ordinance No. 771 (Dangerous Animal Registration). The Department of Animal Services administers and enforces these rules.
Failure to sterilize a regulated pit bull is enforced under the County Animal Control Ordinances' penalty structure: an infraction with fines up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each additional within a year (Ord. 630, Section 20). Impounded unaltered animals are subject to additional unaltered-animal fees and may be required to be sterilized before release.
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