Humboldt County, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

In the unincorporated areas of Humboldt County, dog control is handled by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Division at 980 Lycoming, McKinleyville. State law is the backbone of the local rule set: California Health and Safety Code section 121690 declares all of California a rabies area and provides that 'every owner of a dog, after the dog attains the age of four months, shall no less than once every two years secure a license' through the local jurisdiction's ordinance, and that 'every dog owner, after his or her dog attains the age of three months, shall procure its vaccination by a licensed veterinarian with a canine anti-rabies vaccine.' California Food and Agricultural Code section 30951 separately makes it 'unlawful for any person to own, harbor, or keep any dog over the age of four months' unless the dog wears a substantial collar with either an owner-identification tag or a county-issued license tag. The Humboldt County Animal Control Division enforces these state requirements and the local at-large rules and operates a shelter that takes in stray dogs found in the unincorporated county. After-hours and emergency complaints are routed through the Sheriff's main line at 707-445-7251; routine reports go to Animal Control at 707-840-9132.