Stanislaus County, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted pets
- Microchipped before shelter release
- Reclaimed pets
- Chipped if no current ID/license
- Bite animals
- Chipped regardless of license status
- Cost
- Owner pays before release
- Litter permit tie-in
- Breeding animal must be chipped
Summary
Every dog and cat adopted from the county shelter must be microchipped by SASA before leaving. Reclaimed pets that show up at the shelter without a current license or other permanent ID get chipped too, and any animal identified as a prior "bite dog" or "bite cat" is chipped regardless of license status.
All dogs and cats adopted from the animal shelter shall be implanted, prior to the animal leaving the animal shelter, with a microchip provided by SASA. The microchip identification number shall be maintained on file at the animal shelter for identification purposes. Any dog or cat impounded under authority of this chapter, which has no current license or any other visible means of permanent identification shall be, upon identification and reclaim by its owner, implanted with a microchip provided by SASA. In addition, any dog or cat that has been identified by SASA as a "bite dog" or "bite cat" (a dog or cat which has previously bitten a person or another animal) will be implanted with a microchip provided by SASA, regardless of whether the dog or cat has been licensed or not.
Full Breakdown
170 requires SASA to implant a microchip in every dog and cat adopted from the animal shelter before the animal leaves, with the identification number kept on file at the shelter. 32 that has no current license or other visible permanent identification must be implanted with a microchip once the owner identifies and reclaims it. The rule reaches further for animals SASA has flagged as a "bite dog" or "bite cat", one that has previously bitten a person or another animal, which must be microchipped on reclaim regardless of whether it was ever licensed.
The cost of the microchip and the implantation service is set by board of supervisors ordinance and must be paid by the owner before the animal is released from the shelter, meaning the practical enforcement mechanism is a hold on release rather than a separate citation. The identification number goes on file at the shelter either way, giving SASA a lasting record tied to the animal independent of tag or license renewal. 030(D)(7): anyone who obtains a permit to breed a dog or cat must have that animal licensed and microchipped with SASA as a condition of the permit.
Violations & Fines
There's no separate infraction for skipping this step because SASA enforces it at the point of release: a reclaimed dog or cat without a current license or ID isn't returned to its owner until it's microchipped and the owner has paid the implantation fee set by the board of supervisors. A litter permit holder who fails to microchip a breeding animal also risks permit revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is microchipping mandatory for all pets in Stanislaus County?
Who pays for the microchip?
What if my dog has bitten someone before?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stanislaus County
California rules heatmap·Compare Stanislaus County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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