Temecula, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Microchip required
- Dogs and cats over 4 months
- Automatic age exemption
- Animals over 10 years old
- Transfer reporting window
- 10 days after sale/adoption
- Un-chipped impound release
- Chip required or signed compliance statement
- Adoption fee
- Chip cost included in shelter adoption fee
Summary
Temecula requires every dog and cat over four months old to be implanted with an identifying microchip, with the number reported to animal control. Health, athletic-performance, and out-of-city exemptions apply, plus an automatic exemption at age ten.
All dogs and cats over the age of four months must be implanted with an identifying microchip. The owner or custodian is required to provide the microchip number to the animal control agency and shall notify the animal control agency of any change of ownership of the dog or cat, or any change of address or telephone number. ... A dog or cat over the age of ten years [is exempt from mandatory microchipping].
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4862229; v11 updated 2026-04-14).
Full Breakdown
030(A) requires that "all dogs and cats over the age of four months must be implanted with an identifying microchip," and obligates the owner to report the microchip number to the animal control agency and update it whenever ownership, address, or phone number changes. Subsection B exempts animals whose veterinarian certifies a health risk from implantation, animals whose athletic performance would be impaired, animals kenneled or trained in Temecula but owned by a non-resident who complies with their home jurisdiction's rules, and any dog or cat over ten years old.
030(C) requires the microchip number (and, for dogs, the license number) to appear on the transfer document, with the new owner's name and address reported to animal control within 10 days for a puppy or kitten under four months old. 030(D). 030(E).
Violations & Fines
Failing to implant a required microchip, or failing to report a microchip number or ownership transfer to the animal control agency, is chargeable as an infraction under this chapter's penalty provision (Section 6.06.020(G), applicable to Chapter 6.06 violations generally), enforceable under Section 1.20.010, and may also be pursued as an administrative civil action under Chapter 1.21. An impounded, un-chipped animal cannot be released until it is implanted or the owner signs a compliance statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age must a pet be microchipped in Temecula?
Is there an age when a Temecula pet no longer needs a microchip?
What happens if animal control impounds a Temecula pet with no microchip?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Temecula
California rules heatmap·Compare Temecula to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Microchipping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle microchipping.