Fresno, CA Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Section 10-329 applies to any owner whose dog is found at large in violation of Section 10-308(a). The enforcement ladder is explicit: a first violation draws only a written warning; a second draws a $100 administrative citation; a third or subsequent violation draws a $200 citation plus a mandatory order requiring the owner to either spay or neuter every dog in their possession within sixty days and provide proof to the poundmaster, or implant a microchip in every dog they own (the order can require one or both).

' The poundmaster administers and enforces the section, the City may recover abatement and administrative costs under Chapter 1, Article 5 on top of the fines, and any owner who receives a citation or a spay/neuter or microchip order can appeal through the Chapter 1, Article 4 hearing process. Because the trigger is repeated at-large violations rather than blanket ownership, an owner who keeps a dog contained and never lets it roam is never reached by the mandate, it functions as a targeted penalty for habitual at-large dogs rather than a citywide spay/neuter law, and by its own terms in Section 10-329(b) it does not apply to cats, which are separately exempted from the underlying at-large offense.