Santa Clara, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

City Code § 6.30.150 sets the restrictions that apply once a dog has been designated dangerous through the hearing process in § 6.30.140. Subsection (a) lists mandatory conditions the owner or person with the right to control the dog must meet, and item (4) requires that "[t]he dog shall have a microchip implant for identification purposes." That sits alongside other dangerous-dog conditions in the same subsection: spaying or neutering the dog (a)(3), confining it in a securely enclosed, locked kennel or pen with sides embedded at least two feet into the ground and a solid fence at least six feet high (a)(5), muzzling it during any physical restraint with a nonretractable leash no longer than three feet attached to an escape-proof harness (a)(1), and posting a warning sign at every entrance to where the dog is kept, written so a child with normal second-grade reading skills can understand it (a)(8).

The City Manager may also require a specially marked leash, collar or harness to identify the dog as dangerous (a)(2). Owners must additionally register the dog annually with the City Manager and pay a registration fee set by City Council resolution, and carry public liability insurance of at least $100,000 per incident or another surety acceptable to the City Manager (§ 6.30.160(a)-(b)). An animal control officer with the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority (SVACA) may inquire into compliance and seize any dangerous dog whose owner fails to meet these requirements (§ 6.30.160(f)).