Modesto, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

503 lets an owner breed a dog or cat only after obtaining an annual permit issued by the Stanislaus County Department of Animal Services Director. Subsection (d)(7) attaches a specific identification condition to that permit: the permit holder's dog or cat must be microchipped, or carry some other identification the County accepts, and must be registered with the County. This obligation runs with the breeding permit, not with pet ownership generally; dogs used by law enforcement, documented guide or service dogs, animals in the care of governmental shelters or humane societies with an active spay/neuter and adoption plan, and dogs enrolled in a licensed guide-dog breeding program are exempt from the litter permit requirement entirely under subsection (e).

504. 00 penalty by mail, which is not waived even if the animal is later transferred or abandoned. If the owner still has not microchipped, spayed or neutered, or obtained the permit within fifteen days after that penalty notice, the continuing violation becomes a separate infraction. 00 for each occurrence after that. The County Animal Services Director can also revoke a litter permit outright for noncompliance, following written notice and an informal hearing, with an appeal available to the Animal Court within five working days of the decision.