Lynwood, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Lynwood Municipal Code § 8-1.35(c) requires that all dogs and cats over the age of four months be implanted with an identifying microchip. The owner or custodian must supply the microchip number to the animal control agency and report any change of ownership, address, or telephone number. Four exemptions apply: an animal a veterinarian certifies would face a high likelihood of serious injury from implantation; an animal a veterinarian certifies would suffer impaired athletic ability or performance; an animal kenneled or trained in Lynwood but owned by a nonresident, who must instead follow the licensing and rabies rules of their home jurisdiction; and any dog or cat over ten years old.

Anyone who sells, trades, or gives away a dog or cat over four months old must include the microchip number, and for dogs the valid license number, on the transfer document and must tell the animal control agency the new owner's name and address within fifteen days; failing to do so is a violation of Chapter 8 subject to the chapter's penalties. When animal control impounds an unmicrochipped dog or cat, the owner must have it chipped by a registered veterinary technician or veterinarian at their own expense, or sign a sworn statement promising to have the chip implanted and to prove it within fifteen days of release.

The microchip fee is folded into the adoption cost at the city's animal shelter; if an animal already carries a chip from elsewhere, the animal control agency may charge a separate fee to enter that number into its registry. All fees and fines under this section are set by city council resolution.