Napa, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Napa's pet cap is unusually structured — the City does not phrase it as 'three dogs and three cats' the way many California cities do, but instead defines 'small domestic animals' broadly in Zoning Ordinance Section 17.06.030 as the type generally accepted as pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, pigeons, hens, and the like) and caps the total at six over the age of four months as a permitted noncommercial accessory use to a dwelling. The definition expressly excludes roosters, quacking ducks, geese, pea fowl, goats, sheep, hogs, apiaries (regulated separately at 17.52.055), venomous reptiles, kennels, and other prohibited animals — those are not part of the six-animal count because they are not allowed at all (or, for bees, are regulated under a separate framework). Beyond six animals, or where 15 or more chickens, rabbits, or similar small animals are kept, the use is classified as agricultural cultivation/animal keeping under Chapter 17.52 of the Zoning Ordinance at https://qcode.us/codes/napa/view.php?topic=city_of_napa_municipal_code-17-17_52 and requires an administrative permit plus a parcel of one (1) acre or larger. The county-level Animal Control framework in Chapter 6.04 (https://qcode.us/codes/napa/view.php?topic=city_of_napa_municipal_code-6-6_04) requires every dog over four months in the City to be individually licensed and currently vaccinated against rabies — so the per-dog licensing rule operates in addition to the six-animal aggregate cap. Cat licensing is not required. Breeding, boarding, or selling animals commercially from a residence is treated as a kennel use and is excluded from the small-domestic-animal allowance — a separate use permit and zoning approval are required. Pet keeping that creates odor, fecal accumulation, vermin, or noise nuisance is independently citable under Title 1 of the Municipal Code regardless of count.