Westminster, CA Animal Ordinances: Livestock (2026)

Livestock keeping in the City of Westminster is controlled by the city's own Municipal Code, Chapter 6.12 (Animals). The code provides that it is unlawful for any person to keep or maintain any domestic animal, fowl, bees or livestock in or upon any public or private property in the city, except as the code allows, and that anyone wishing to keep an otherwise-prohibited animal must apply to Westminster Animal Control for a permit and may not keep the animal unless and until a permit is issued. Westminster is a fully built-out, densely populated Orange County city of roughly ten square miles with predominantly small residential lots, so there is little to no agricultural zoning and animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine are not a by-right use. Any request to keep such animals would have to go through the Animal Control permit process and meet the code's conditions, which on typical urban lots are difficult or impossible to satisfy. This is stricter than rural parts of California, where county codes commonly allow livestock by right on larger parcels. Residents considering any hoofed or farm animal should contact Westminster Animal Control before acquiring the animal, since keeping it without a permit is a code violation. Potbellied pigs and similar animals also fall under this permit requirement rather than being treated automatically as household pets.