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

Lake County controls pet numbers through a combination of licensing, the animal code's kennel provisions, and the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. Every dog over four months of age kept in the unincorporated county must be licensed through Lake County Animal Care & Control (administered via PetData), and most dogs and cats over four months must be spayed or neutered under Lake County Code section 4-17.1, which states that 'no person shall own, harbor, or keep within the unincorporated area of this County, a dog or cat over the age of four (4) months, which has not been spayed or neutered' unless exempt under section 4-17.3. The County Code's animal chapter (Chapter 4) also defines an 'animal establishment' to include kennels and catteries where animals are kept as part of a business, and the County operates a kennel licensing program; keeping more than the per-household number of dogs or cats generally pushes an owner into kennel-license territory. The precise numeric cap (how many dogs and cats a household may keep before a kennel permit is required) is set in Chapter 4 of the Lake County Code and should be confirmed there or with Animal Care & Control - this is a rural county where higher counts are common on larger parcels. Licensing fees (effective 7/1/25) are $20 for an altered dog, $100 unaltered, $50 unaltered exempt, $13 for a senior's altered dog, and free for service dogs, with a $20 late fee. New residents get 30 days to license (60 if the pet has a current or prior California license).