Solano County, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must chip
- Every shelter adopter, redeemer, or rescuer
- Cost responsibility
- Adopter/redeemer pays shelter at release
- Ongoing duty
- Owner keeps manufacturer registration updated
- Implanting authority
- Licensed vet or approved qualified individual
- Enacting ordinance
- Ord. No. 1685, §2
Summary
Every dog and cat adopted, released, redeemed or rescued from the Solano County Animal Shelter must be implanted with a microchip before leaving, and the owner is responsible for registering it and keeping the registration current if the animal moves.
4-183 Microchip requirement
(a) For purposes of this chapter, microchip shall mean a permanent radio transponder used for identification purposes and implanted under the animals' skin by, or under the supervisor of, a licensed veterinarian or other qualified individual approved by the Director of General Services, or designee.
(b) All dogs and cats adopted, released, redeemed or rescued from the Solano County Animal Shelter shall be implanted with microchips. It shall be the duty of the owner of each dog or cat to ensure that the microchip is registered with the manufacturer, and that the registration is property updated if the dog or cat moves.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1868, passed April 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Solano County Code Sec. 4-183(a) defines "microchip" as a permanent radio transponder used for identification, implanted under the animal's skin by, or under the supervision of, a licensed veterinarian or another qualified individual approved by the Director of General Services or a designee. Sec. 4-183(b) requires that all dogs and cats adopted, released, redeemed or rescued from the Solano County Animal Shelter be implanted with microchips, and places the duty on the owner to ensure the microchip is registered with the manufacturer and that the registration is updated whenever the dog or cat moves.
Sec. 4-183(c) makes the adopter, redeemer or rescuer responsible for paying the cost of microchipping to the shelter, in an amount the board of supervisors specifies, at the time of redemption or release. The requirement, added by Ordinance No. 1685, sits in Article XII alongside the shelter's mandatory spay/neuter program under Sec. 4-180 through Sec. 4-182, meaning an animal leaving the county shelter through adoption, redemption or rescue is both chipped and placed on a spay/neuter deadline in the same transaction. The chapter's general penalty provision, Sec. 4-170, classifies unspecified chapter 4 violations as infractions carrying a fine of up to $500, escalating to a misdemeanor for a repeat offender.
Violations & Fines
Failing to ensure a shelter-adopted animal is microchipped, or failing to keep the manufacturer registration current after a move, is a violation of Sec. 4-183 and falls under Chapter 4's general penalty in Sec. 4-170: an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $500, with repeat violations of the chapter rising to a misdemeanor. The adopter must pay the microchipping cost to the shelter before or at the time of redemption or release under Sec. 4-183(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the county microchip pets automatically when I adopt from the shelter?
Who has to keep my pet's microchip registration current?
What kind of microchip does Solano County require?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Solano County
California rules heatmap·Compare Solano County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.