Pico Rivera, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Cat licensing
- Optional, not mandatory, under Section 6.12.010
- Breeding permit
- Required from animal care and control director
- Kennel zoning
- Cat breeding limited to industrially zoned property
- Kennel threshold
- 4 or more cats over 4 months old
- Feral colony rule
- None found; no separate TNR provision
Summary
In the City of Pico Rivera, cat licensing is optional rather than mandatory: Municipal Code Section 6.12.010 lets an owner obtain an identification license through the Chapter 6.08 process but does not require it. Anyone keeping cats mainly for breeding, or operating a cat kennel of four or more cats, must instead secure a breeding permit and locate the operation only on industrially zoned property under Sections 6.20.010 and 6.20.030.
In order to provide a method for identifying cats, a license may be obtained as prescribed in Chapter 6.08 of this title. This section shall not require the licensing of cats, but merely provides for their optional licensing. ... No person shall keep or maintain, or suffer or permit to be kept or maintained upon any premises owned or controlled by him, ... any cat, male or female, kept mainly for breeding purposes, except within industrially zoned property, and then only in an approved kennel.
Full Breakdown
Section 6.12.010 provides a method for identifying cats through an optional license issued the same way as a dog license under Chapter 6.08, but the section is explicit that it does not require any cat to be licensed in the city. Breeding is treated differently: Section 6.20.010 requires anyone owning or controlling a cat or dog kept for breeding purposes to secure a breeding permit from the director of the department of animal care and control, with the sale of any litter for profit beyond advertising costs counted as prima facie evidence of breeding.
Section 6.20.030 then bars keeping or maintaining any cat mainly for breeding purposes anywhere in the city except on industrially zoned property, and even there only in an approved kennel. Section 6.20.040 repeats that restriction for any cat kennel as defined in Section 6.04.020, meaning any premises where four or more cats over four months old are kept for any purpose: it too may exist only on industrially zoned property in an approved kennel. The code sets no citywide requirement that roaming or unowned cats be licensed, and it contains no separate feral cat colony or trap-neuter-return provision distinct from these breeding and kennel location rules found in Chapter 6.20.
Violations & Fines
Operating a cat breeding business or a cat kennel of four or more cats outside industrially zoned property, or without the Section 6.20.010 breeding permit, violates this title. Under the citywide general penalty, Section 1.20.010, a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to one thousand dollars, up to six months in jail, or both, though prosecutors may instead charge it as an infraction with lower tiered fines for repeat offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cat licensing mandatory in Pico Rivera?
Where can someone legally breed cats in Pico Rivera?
What counts as a cat kennel under Pico Rivera's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pico Rivera
California rules heatmap·Compare Pico Rivera to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Cat Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle cat rules.