Doña Ana County, NM Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

§ 134-14, titled 'Population control,' is the county's spay/neuter mechanism, and it works through permitting rather than a flat mandate. Subsection A requires anyone owning an intact dog or cat to get an intact animal permit from the Animal Control Unit for each unaltered animal, whether or not the owner plans to breed it; the application needs a physical description and, if applicable, licensing or microchip information, and the owner pays an initial fee plus an annual renewal fee. Subsection A(4) builds in the sterilization incentive: the intact animal permit fee is refunded if the dog or cat is sterilized within 90 days of the permit's issuance, proven by a veterinarian's written certificate, or a certificate stating sterilization would pose an unnecessary surgical risk given the animal's age or condition.

Subsection B adds a litter permit requirement for anyone whose dog or cat produces a litter, intentionally or not: the application is due within 10 days of birth, carries its own fee (also refundable on 90-day sterilization), and each litter permit gets a unique number that must appear in any ad for the puppies or kittens. B(6) caps reproduction directly: an intact female dog or cat cannot be allowed to produce more than one litter in any consecutive twelve-month period. B(13) requires spay/neuter of every animal at a multiple-animal site unless the owner holds a valid intact or litter permit, tying the household permit system to the county's site-density cap.