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

6003(e) of the Los Banos Municipal Code imposes a mandatory sterilization requirement tied to repeat impoundment: upon the third time a dog or cat is impounded within a 12-month period, the animal must be spayed or neutered, at the owner's or custodian's expense, before the Animal Control Services Unit will release it. 6003, which also require an impounded animal that is not currently vaccinated against rabies to be vaccinated by a California-licensed veterinarian, with the cost added to the redemption bill, and treat any impounded animal not redeemed within its holding period as abandoned and forfeited to the City.

The third-impound rule has one narrow escape hatch: if the owner or custodian can prove to the Animal Control Services Unit that the animal is a valuable breeding animal currently registered with a national organization such as the American Kennel Club, and that sterilization would devalue it, the Unit may waive the requirement. 3, before it leaves City custody; a veterinarian-certified medical exemption instead triggers a temporary spay/neuter deposit that is refunded once the animal is later sterilized within 14 business days of medical clearance, or forfeited if no certification arrives in time.