Contra Costa County, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Ordinance Code § 416-8.020
- Applies to
- All impounded dogs and cats at release
- Who implants
- Animal services department, at owner's expense
- Fee
- Set by department's board-adopted fee schedule
- Existing chip
- Satisfies requirement, no re-implant needed
Summary
Contra Costa County's Animal Services Department will not release an impounded dog or cat without a microchip. Section 416-8.020 requires every animal picked up under Section 416-8.002 to be implanted with microchip identification before it goes home, and the department does the implant itself if the animal doesn't already have one.
(a)Microchip Identification Required at Time of Release. All dogs and cats impounded under Section 416-8.002 must be implanted with microchip identification before being released from impoundment to their owners.(b)The animal services department will perform the microchip implantation procedure, at the owner's expense, on any dog or cat that does not already have microchip identification before the dog or cat is released from impoundment to its owner.(c)Microchip Implantation Fee. The fee for a microchip implantation procedure performed under subsection (b) will be the microchip fee amount listed in the animal services department's fee schedule.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Ordinance Code: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
020 makes microchip identification a condition of getting an impounded pet back, not a general county-wide mandate on every dog or cat. 002, whether it came in as a stray, was seized, or was surrendered, the department checks for existing microchip identification. If the animal already carries a chip, that satisfies the requirement. If it doesn't, the animal services department performs the implantation procedure itself before releasing the animal to its owner; owners cannot opt to skip the chip and take the animal home unchipped.
The cost of the procedure falls on the owner, billed at the microchip fee amount set out in the animal services department's fee schedule, which the board of supervisors adopts by resolution rather than fixing in the ordinance itself. 018. Because the mandate attaches at the point of impoundment and release, a pet that never ends up in the shelter is never forced through the county's chip program; the rule reaches only animals animal services has already taken in.
Violations & Fines
Section 416-8.020 carries no separate fine: the leverage is that animal services keeps the animal in custody until the chip fee is paid and the implant is done. Refusing to pay the microchip fee, like refusing to pay other accrued impoundment fees, can extend the hold and, after ten days, expose the owner to an abandonment finding under Section 416-8.014, which relinquishes the owner's rights to the animal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Contra Costa require every dog or cat to have a microchip?
Who pays for the microchip if my pet gets picked up?
What if my pet already has a microchip when it's impounded?
Can I refuse the microchip and just take my pet home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Contra Costa County
California rules heatmap·Compare Contra Costa County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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