Anaheim follows California state guidance and OC Animal Care policy requiring spay or neuter for adopted shelter animals, with intact-animal permits required for breeding dogs and unaltered animals subject to higher license fees.
Anaheim Municipal Code Title 6 incorporates OC Animal Care's intact-animal permit framework. All dogs and cats adopted from the OC shelter must be sterilized before release per California Food and Agriculture Code. Owners keeping intact dogs over four months old must purchase an unaltered license at a substantially higher annual fee than altered animals. Repeat impounds of unaltered animals trigger mandatory sterilization before release. Licensed breeders must maintain records and may need a kennel permit if they exceed pet limits. The policy is designed to reduce shelter intake and euthanasia rates countywide.
Failing to sterilize an adopted shelter animal, keeping intact animals without proper licensing, or breeding without records exposes owners to fines and mandatory surgery before reclaim.
Anaheim, CA
Anaheim does not impose breed-specific restrictions. California state law (Food & Agriculture Code 31683) prohibits breed-specific bans. Dangerous and viciou...
Anaheim, CA
Anaheim requires dogs to be on a leash not exceeding six feet in city parks under AMC Chapter 13.08. All dogs over four months must be licensed through Orang...
See how other cities in Orange County handle mandatory spay/neuter.
See how Anaheim's mandatory spay/neuter rules stack up against other locations.
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