San Diego does not impose blanket mandatory spay/neuter, but SDMC §44.04 charges sharply higher license fees for unaltered dogs and requires breeding permits. The 2008 ordinance pushed sterilization through fee structure rather than outright mandate after political pushback.
SDMC §44.0402 sets San Diego dog license fees with a strong differential: altered dogs pay a low annual fee, while unaltered dogs pay several times that amount. SDMC §44.0407 requires anyone breeding dogs or cats to obtain a breeder permit. The 2008 mandatory spay/neuter proposal was scaled back into this fee-based approach after Council debate, leaving sterilization technically voluntary but financially encouraged. San Diego County Animal Services and the contracted San Diego Humane Society administer licensing, enforce permit requirements, and operate low-cost spay/neuter clinics for income-qualified residents.
Operating without a required license or breeder permit triggers infraction citations with fines starting near one hundred dollars per animal. Repeat violations can be referred for misdemeanor prosecution, and unlicensed unaltered dogs face higher impound reclaim fees.
San Diego, CA
Under SDMC §44.0403, every dog or cat licensed in San Diego must be implanted with a registered microchip and the registry data kept current. California Food...
San Diego, CA
San Diego does not require leashes for cats but requires rabies vaccination once a cat is over four months old, and any cat off the owner's property may be i...
See how San Diego's mandatory spay/neuter rules stack up against other locations.
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