Lake Elsinore, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Section 6.06.030, adopted with the rest of Chapter 6.06 by Ordinance No. 1411 in 2019, requires every dog and cat over four months of age to carry an implanted identifying microchip, with the owner or custodian responsible for reporting the chip number to the Animal Control Agency and notifying the agency of any change in ownership, address or phone number. Subsection (B) lists four exemptions: an animal a veterinarian certifies would face serious bodily injury from implantation due to a health condition; an animal whose athletic ability or performance would be impaired, again requiring written veterinary confirmation; an animal kenneled or trained in Lake Elsinore but owned by a non-resident, who must instead follow the licensing and rabies rules of the jurisdiction where the owner lives; and any dog or cat over 10 years old.

Anyone offering a dog for sale, trade or adoption must provide the microchip number and, for dogs, the license number, and must tell the Animal Control Agency the new owner's name and address; the same disclosure duty applies to cat transfers, though without a license number since cats are not individually licensed. When an unmicrochipped dog or cat is impounded, § 6.06.030(D) requires the owner to have it chipped by an Animal Control Agency veterinarian or technician at the owner's expense before release, or sign a sworn statement promising to do so within 10 days.

The microchip fee is folded into shelter adoption costs, and there is no added registry fee if an animal already carries a chip from another facility.