Gilroy, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Gilroy City Code § 4.33(a) caps ownership at five dogs over four months old, five cats over four months old, or any mix of the two species totaling five, with no more than one unspayed female dog or one unspayed female cat in the household. A resident who wants to exceed the cap must obtain a permit from the administrator, defined in § 4.1 as the chief of police or an assigned animal control officer, for a private kennel, commercial kennel, pet shop, animal menagerie or animal shelter.

The only exemption on record is a premises maintained by a state-licensed veterinarian practicing veterinary medicine. Section 4.33(b) makes an unspayed female dog or cat rebuttably presumed intact unless the owner shows proof of spaying; a veterinarian's written certification that surgery is medically inappropriate or that the animal cannot breed counts as an acceptable substitute for a spay certificate. Permits for exceeding the limit run through §§ 4.37 through 4.43: the application goes to the administrator on a city-approved form listing every animal type and approximate count kept, the administrator can set housing, sanitation and species-count regulations, and any permit issued expires twelve months after issuance and is nontransferable.

Violating the household cap is charged as an infraction under the chapter's general penalty, § 4.9: fines run up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense of the same provision within a year, and up to $500 for each additional offense in that year, capped at three infractions. A fourth violation of the same section becomes a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both, and the city may revoke any animal control permit already issued.