Vallejo, CA Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)
Key Facts
- Unlicensed dogs
- Must be altered before release, every impoundment
- Licensed dogs
- Released intact on 1st and 2nd impoundment
- 3rd impoundment
- Alteration required within 3-year window
- Medical exemption
- Vet-confirmed; 2 months to comply
- Cost
- Owner pays for exemption veterinary exam
Summary
Vallejo won't hand an impounded dog back to its owner without addressing its reproductive status. Section 7.16.045 forces spay or neuter surgery before release for any unlicensed, unaltered dog picked up by animal services, and for any licensed dog impounded a third time within three years, unless a veterinarian confirms a medical reason the surgery can't happen yet.
A.Unlicensed dogs - Any unlicensed, unaltered dog impounded under Section 7.16.010 must be spayed or neutered prior to its release from the animal services department unless the dog is exempted from the license requirements under subsection A of Section 7.06.040 or has a medical exemption under subsection D of this section.B.Any licensed, unaltered dog impounded under Section 7.16.010 will be released intact from the animal services department on the first and second occasion the dog is impounded within a three-year period.C.Any licensed unaltered dog impounded under Section 7.16.010 a third time within a three-year period must be spayed or neutered prior to the dogs release from the animal services director unless the dog has a medical exemption under subsection (d) of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Update 12 - 25).
Full Breakdown
045 sorts impounded dogs into two tracks. 040(A), such as a police or law-enforcement dog, or qualifies for the medical exemption in subsection D. Licensed dogs get more leeway under subsections B and C: the first two times a licensed, unaltered dog is impounded within a three-year window, the department releases it intact, but a third impoundment within that same three-year period triggers the same mandatory spay-or-neuter requirement before release, again subject to the medical exemption. The medical exemption in subsection D isn't a blanket pass; it requires a veterinarian licensed in California to confirm the dog has a medical condition preventing the surgery, after which animal services issues the owner a written notice giving two months to get the dog altered and provide proof, a window the department can extend if the vet says the medical condition is still preventing surgery. The dog owner, not the city, pays for any veterinary exam performed to support that exemption. 010, not to owned dogs in general.
Violations & Fines
An owner who doesn't secure the medical exemption paperwork, or who lets the two-month correction window lapse after a vet-confirmed exemption, keeps an unaltered dog from being released; the animal services department won't hand back a third-time impounded licensed dog, or any impounded unlicensed dog, until the spay or neuter procedure is done. There's no fine listed in Section 7.16.045 itself, the enforcement mechanism is withholding the dog from its owner until the surgery requirement is met.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my dog have to be neutered before I can get it back from Vallejo animal services?
What if my vet says my dog can't be spayed or neutered right now?
Who pays for the vet exam needed for the medical exemption?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vallejo
California rules heatmap·Compare Vallejo to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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