Berkeley, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Section 10.04.207 requires the City's Animal Shelter to microchip every dog and cat before it leaves the shelter, whether the animal is returned to its owner, adopted by a new owner, or pulled by a rescue group, and the cost falls on 'the person taking possession of the animal.' Subsection B folds the chip fee into the adoption or redemption charge rather than billing it separately, so an owner reclaiming a lost pet or an adopter completing paperwork pays one combined amount at the counter rather than a separate microchip invoice.

The section carves out four exceptions. Feral cats are exempt entirely under subsection C, reflecting the shelter's trap-neuter-return practice for cats too wild to handle safely. A licensed veterinarian can exempt an animal for health reasons under subsection D. Animals leaving with a rescue group are exempt at the point of transfer under subsection E, since many rescues chip animals themselves once they are stabilized. And an animal that cannot be safely handled by shelter staff is exempt under subsection F unless it is already being sedated for a spay or neuter procedure, in which case staff can implant the chip while the animal is under anesthesia. The ordinance was added in 2004 by Ordinance 6807-NS and sits alongside the shelter's separate spay and neuter conditions in Sections 10.04.205 and 10.04.206, which likewise attach requirements to any animal leaving City custody.