San Bernardino County, CA Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)
Key Facts
- Mandate
- Pit Bulls must be altered by 4 months
- Enforcing agency
- County Health Officer
- Enacted
- Ord. 4114, 2010
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
- State authority
- Health & Safety Code § 122331
Summary
San Bernardino County requires every Pit Bull over four months old to be spayed or neutered, with narrow exemptions for AKC/UKC-registered purebreds, working, and medically unfit dogs.
Pursuant to Health and Safety Code § 122331, no person shall own or keep a Pit Bull over the age of four months which has not been spayed or neutered, except as provided in Subdivision (b) below. For purposes of this Section, "Pit Bull" is defined as any Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier or American Staffordshire Terrier breed of dog, or any mixed breed of dog which contains, as an element of its breeding, any of these breeds...
Full Breakdown
County Code § 32.1501 bars owning or keeping an unaltered Pit Bull, defined as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, or any identifiable mix of those breeds, past four months of age. Enacted under Health and Safety Code § 122331, it exempts AKC/UKC-registered purebreds, law enforcement dogs, service or assistance dogs under Food and Agriculture Code § 30850, dogs a vet confirms cannot safely be altered, and dogs at a licensed breeding kennel under § 32.0301. A companion section, § 32.1502, extends spay/neuter to any unaltered dog whose owner has already been cited for a Code or state-law violation involving that dog. Both apply only in the unincorporated county, Fontana, Ontario, and the other 22 incorporated cities enforce their own municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Non-compliance is a Code violation; the Health Officer may order the dog altered and bill the owner for veterinary costs and staff time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this ban Pit Bulls in San Bernardino County?
Does the spay/neuter rule apply in Fontana or Ontario?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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