LA County Title 10.20.350 requires all dogs and cats over four months in unincorporated areas to be spayed or neutered, with narrow exceptions for licensed breeders, show animals, and medical waivers documented by a veterinarian.
LACO Title 10.20.350 mandates sterilization of every dog and cat over four months residing in unincorporated LA County, enforced by DACC. Exemptions exist for AKC-registered show animals, working dogs, breeders holding intact-permit licenses, and animals with veterinarian-signed medical waivers. Intact-permit fees run several hundred dollars annually. The rule pairs with the Title 10.20.355 microchip mandate so that DACC can trace litters and unsterilized animals back to owners. Many DACC contract cities adopt the same sterilization standard; incorporated cities outside the contract may set their own rules.
Owners of intact pets without a permit face citations starting around one hundred dollars, rising on each offense. Repeated noncompliance triggers higher fines, mandatory low-cost spay-neuter referrals, and potential impound at owner expense.
See how Long Beach's mandatory spay/neuter rules stack up against other locations.
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