Clovis, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- CMC § 6.1.307
- Cat exemption
- Spayed/neutered cats only
- First offense
- Infraction
- 3 violations in 12 months
- Deemed public nuisance
- Failure to remove animal
- Misdemeanor
- Enforcing agency
- Clovis Animal Services Officers
Summary
Clovis Municipal Code § 6.1.307 bars owners from letting any animal, except a spayed or neutered cat, run at large in the city; a first offense is an infraction, but an animal caught at large three times in 12 months is deemed a public nuisance that the owner must remove from City limits entirely.
No owner of any animal, except a cat which has been spayed or neutered, shall cause, permit, or allow any such animal to be at large in the City. A violation of this provision is an infraction. An animal that is at large three (3) or more times within a twelve (12) month period shall be deemed a public nuisance and the owner shall remove the animal from the City's incorporated limits. A failure to remove the animal in violation of this section is a misdemeanor.
Full Breakdown
101(d): an animal is at large when it's off its owner's property and not restrained by a chain or leash under the control of a person physically capable of controlling it, or when it's on the owner's property but not under effective physical control sufficient to stop it from getting on or off the property. The definition carves out animals being trained in an obedience class or exhibited at a show under a handler's immediate control. 307 itself exempts only spayed or neutered cats from the at-large prohibition; unaltered cats and every dog are covered.
401. 308 let the Supervisor of Animal Services or an Animal Services Officer order abatement, and potentially seize the animal, when it harasses people or other animals, damages property, or defecates or urinates on someone else's property without consent, whether or not the animal was ever technically at large.
Violations & Fines
A single at-large violation is charged as an infraction. Once the same animal is caught at large three or more times within a 12-month period, § 6.1.307 deems it a public nuisance and requires the owner to remove it from Clovis's incorporated limits; failing to do so is a misdemeanor, a materially harsher penalty than the underlying infraction. Failure to comply with a written abatement order under § 6.1.308 for a menacing animal is a separate violation for each day the nuisance continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cats have to be leashed in Clovis?
What counts as an animal 'at large' under Clovis law?
What happens if my dog gets loose three times in Clovis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clovis
California rules heatmap·Compare Clovis to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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