Saint Paul, MN Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

121 lists the mandatory conditions imposed once a court or the animal control supervisor declares an animal dangerous under Sec. 12 rather than ordering it destroyed. For dogs, every listed condition applies and is reviewed annually by the animal control officer; after two violation-free years the supervisor may relax them. Subsection (a)(9) requires that 'a dog must be sterilized at the owner's expense,' and gives the owner 30 days to complete the procedure. If the deadline passes without proof of sterilization, 'the animal control authority shall seize the dog and have it sterilized at the owner's expense', the owner pays regardless of who arranges the surgery.

The same subsection sits alongside the rest of the dangerous-dog package: a proper enclosure meeting Sec. 01's fencing specifications, warning signs posted front and rear, $300,000 in public liability insurance shown within 15 business days, outdoor muzzling and a three-foot leash under a handler at least 18, a visible 'dangerous' tag, microchip proof under Sec. 16, registration with Ramsey County within 14 days, a dangerous-dog license, current rabies vaccination, and an annual registration fee under Sec. 18. Animal Control must seize the dog immediately if any condition, including sterilization, isn't met within 14 days of notice under Sec. 121(b). Saint Paul has no general spay/neuter mandate outside this dangerous-dog framework, ordinary pet dogs and cats are not required to be altered.