Whittier, CA Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Whittier does not run its own animal control code. Ordinance No. 3029, adopted September 8, 2015 and amended by Ordinance No. 3112 on February 25, 2020, adopts Los Angeles County's Title 10 Animal Control Code for the city, with local amendments listed in Section 6.04.050. Subsection F of that section states plainly that Chapter 10.20, Part 4, the county's Mandatory Spay and Neuter Program for Dogs, is excluded from Whittier's adoption of Title 10. The county requirement forcing owners to sterilize unaltered dogs does not reach Whittier residents.

The city kept the licensing framework around it. Section 10.20.030 requires every owner or custodian of a dog over four months old to obtain an annual license from the county animal care director and pay the fee set by council resolution, plus delinquency charges and field enforcement fees under Section 10.90.010. Section 10.20.190 makes it unlawful to harbor an unlicensed dog in the city. Section 10.20.038 caps residences at three dogs or five cats without an animal facility license, though a licensed service dog under Section 10.20.090 does not count toward the three-dog limit. Because the spay/neuter chapter was carved out, none of those licensing or limit provisions turn on whether the animal has been altered.