Santa Fe, NM Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

15 SFCC 1987, "Spaying and neutering," states that no person shall own or harbor within the city municipal boundaries any dog or cat over the age of six months that has not been spayed or neutered, unless the owner obtains an annual permit from the animal services division to keep an unaltered dog or cat, or gets written verification from a licensed veterinarian that the dog or cat should not be neutered for health reasons. Proof of sterilization can be shown by visual inspection or by a veterinary certificate or receipt, and the code specifies that a vasectomy is not an acceptable form of neutering, closing off a procedure that leaves the animal still capable of hormonally driven behavior.

Owners must be able to produce the unaltered-animal permit on an animal services officer's reasonable demand; failing to do so means a citation and possible impoundment of the animal. The chapter's stated purpose in Section 5-1 ties the mandate directly to shelter capacity, explaining that neutering is necessary to eliminate the excessive number of unwanted animals and reduce euthanasia. 1(K) forces neutering of any impounded animal on its third impoundment even if it was previously licensed unaltered.