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

Fresno County Code Section 9.05.030, part of the Breeding, Transfer and Sale of Dogs and Cats Ordinance adopted by Ordinance No. 25-016 on July 8, 2025, provides that no person shall own a dog or cat over the age of four months in the County that is not spayed or neutered unless, for dogs, the owner has applied for and received an unaltered dog license, or, for dogs and cats, the owner has applied for and received a breeding permit. A separate clause bars letting an unaltered female dog or cat breed at all without first obtaining a breeding permit.

The Board of Supervisors' stated purpose in Section 9.05.010 is controlling a serious pet overpopulation problem that has driven euthanasia of healthy animals and escalating shelter costs in the unincorporated county. Section 9.05.040 backs the mandate with real screening: a breeding permit costs a nonrefundable $50 application fee plus an annual permit fee set in the county's Master Fee Schedule, requires a Sheriff's background check, is barred to anyone under eighteen or anyone whose dog has been declared dangerous, and limits breeding to American Kennel Club-recognized breeds, capping a household at three breeding permits before it must instead get a Section 9.04.050 kennel license. Section 9.05.060 enforces the whole chapter: a first violation gives the owner thirty days to get the missing license after a notice, after which a $1,000 civil penalty per animal applies, and failing to resolve the violation and pay within another thirty days becomes a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail.