Redding, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Unlike many California cities that cap households at three or four dogs/cats, Redding has no codified hard ceiling on the number of household pets. The Zoning Ordinance separately addresses livestock and exotics in Section 18.43.040(B) through (I) but expressly defers household-pet keeping to Title 7 of the Municipal Code: 'The keeping of cats, dogs, pot-bellied pigs, and other household pets for noncommercial purposes is permitted in accordance with Title 7 of the Municipal Code.' (Section 18.43.040(A) at https://files.cityofredding.gov/Document%20Center/Departments/Development%20Services/Planning/Zoning%20Ordinance/Section%201843040%20Animals.pdf). Title 7 (https://library.municode.com/ca/redding/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT7AN) requires every dog four months and older to be licensed and currently vaccinated against rabies but does not impose a per-household ceiling. The practical limit on multi-pet households comes from three indirect sources: (1) Zoning Ordinance Section 18.43.040(G) prohibits unsanitary conditions — accumulation of fecal matter, odor, insect infestation, rodent attractants disturbing neighbors — and is the standard citation used against over-crowded households; (2) commercial-operation thresholds — breeding, boarding, or selling animals from a residence triggers Redding's home-occupation rules under the Zoning Ordinance and requires a separate kennel framework; and (3) California Penal Code Section 597 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=597.), which makes it a crime to fail to provide proper food, drink, shelter, or protection from the weather. Each licensed dog is independently subject to leash, vaccination, and identification rules; cat licensing is not required in Shasta County. Pet keeping that becomes a continuous source of barking, smell, or filth can be cited as a nuisance under Chapter 1.13 of the Municipal Code in addition to 18.43.040(G).