Lassen County, CA Animal Ordinances: Livestock (2026)

Livestock keeping is a defining land use in unincorporated Lassen County, a high-desert county with extensive cattle, horse and sheep operations. Where and how much livestock you may keep is governed primarily by zoning (agricultural and exclusive-agricultural districts allow extensive animal keeping), administered by Lassen County Planning & Building Services. Lassen is among California's northernmost counties historically treated as 'grazing' or open-range counties. Under California Food and Agricultural Code sections 17121 through 17128 (the grazing-county / estray provisions), in an area devoted chiefly to grazing a landowner generally cannot 'take up' a stray (estray) animal found on the property, and has no lien on it, unless the premises are entirely enclosed with a good and substantial lawful fence. The code defines a lawful fence in detail — for example, a wire fence qualifies only if it has three tightly stretched barbed wires on posts set no more than one rod (16.5 feet) apart, with at least one wire four feet above the ground. This effectively shifts a 'fence-out' burden onto neighbors who want to exclude grazing livestock. Open-range status does not eliminate a livestock owner's duty to use reasonable care in managing animals. Confirm your parcel's grazing/estray designation and zoning with the County before relying on these rules.