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

The Colusa County Zoning Code, Chapter 44, Section 44-4.110.010, governs household pets (small domestic animals not used for food or fiber, such as dogs and cats) in residential and transitional zones. It allows up to four small domestic household pets in all residential and transitional zones; up to six on parcels exceeding 10,000 square feet; and up to eight on parcels exceeding one acre, provided no more than six are of the same species (for example, two dogs and six cats, or four dogs and four cats). Up to eight immature animals (puppies and kittens) do not count toward the total. Keeping animals above the allowed amount requires a kennel or stable permit under Article 44-2. Separately, the Animal Code defines a "kennel" in Section 3-6 as a place maintaining more than five dogs for breeding, training, treating, sale, or other commercial purposes; the Zoning Code definition is six or more dogs (or eight or more cats) over four months kept for breeding, boarding, or keeping. Under Section 3-15, anyone keeping more than five dogs for those commercial purposes must pay an annual kennel license fee set by Board of Supervisors resolution, and all kennel dogs must be individually licensed (Section 3-16). Every dog over four months must be licensed and rabies-vaccinated regardless of how many are kept (Sections 3-13 and 3-35).