Petaluma, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Petaluma's animal code does not state a bare numeric ceiling on pets the way some cities do; instead it defines the threshold at which a household crosses into kennel territory. 020(N) defines a "commercial kennel or cattery" as any premises, other than a veterinary hospital, animal shelter, or private kennel, where five or more dogs four months of age or older, or seven or more cats four months of age or older, are kept for commercial purposes. 020(O) defines a "hobby kennel or cattery" using the identical five-dog or seven-cat threshold, but for noncommercial purposes such as hunting, tracking, exhibiting at shows, field trials, or breed perpetuation, and it caps a hobby kennel operator to selling, offering for sale, bartering, or giving away no more than one litter of puppies or kittens per calendar year.

020 applies: no person may keep a private or commercial kennel or cattery within city limits except in the zone districts where kennels and catteries are permitted, meaning a residential property not zoned for kennel use cannot lawfully keep five or more dogs, or seven or more cats, even informally. A household below those numbers is not defined as a kennel and is not subject to this zoning restriction on that basis alone.