Carlsbad, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

San Diego County does not impose a general numeric cap on household pets, but the kennel threshold effectively limits dogs. Under County Code section 62.602(x), a 'kennel' is a facility that keeps or maintains seven or more dogs at least four months old; a 'facility' includes adjacent buildings, structures, enclosures, or lots under common ownership operated as one unit. Operating a kennel in the unincorporated area requires a kennel license from the Department of Animal Services (section 62.641), with operating, sanitation, space, and recordkeeping standards (sections 62.643-62.649). In practice, that means a household may keep up to six dogs over four months old without a kennel license, subject to nuisance and sanitation rules. The Zoning Ordinance reinforces this: Animal Schedule Note 1 (Section 3100) states that dogs and cats not constituting a kennel, plus up to two pot-belly pigs, are accessory uses subject to the Accessory Use Regulations and are not subject to animal-enclosure setbacks. There is no separate 'cattery' definition or cat-number cap in the County Code for households; cats kept below the kennel context are simply accessory. (A kennel operator that also boards cats may not house more than 12 adult cats in a single enclosure under section 62.645(b), but that is a commercial kennel rule, not a household limit.) All pet owners must keep premises sanitary and free of fly-breeding conditions, odors, and disease (section 62.668), and dogs must be licensed and vaccinated.