Calaveras County, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Calaveras County Code Section 6.16.010, in Chapter 6.16 (Animal Permits), sets the county's pet-limit threshold for the unincorporated county, which is nearly the whole jurisdiction outside the city of Angels Camp. Anyone who owns four or more dogs, or five or more cats, over four months old must obtain an animal permit from the director of animal services unless those animals are already licensed under the separate kennel-license track in Chapter 6.18, which applies at the same four-dog, five-cat threshold for owners not covered by an animal permit.

The director issues three kinds of animal permits under Section 6.16.020: an interim animal permit for owners who simply exceed the three-dog, four-cat baseline, a ranch dog permit for working dogs tied to a legitimate livestock operation, and a foster care permit for a rescue-affiliated foster home. Interim permits require every dog over four months to carry a current license and rabies vaccination, forbid adding new animals to the permit, and require the applicant to spay or neuter every covered dog and cat (Section 6.16.030). Ranch dog permits instead require the owner to notify the director within ten days of acquiring any additional covered dog (Section 6.16.040).

If the director denies or revokes a permit, the owner has thirty days from notice under Section 6.04.100 to bring the household down to no more than three dogs or four cats. Permits expire twelve months after issuance and become delinquent thirty days after that if not renewed, and they cannot be transferred to a new owner or a new address (Sections 6.16.050, 6.16.060). Before issuing or renewing any permit, the director inspects the premises where the animals are kept, and may re-inspect at any time a complaint is received (Section 6.16.070).