Santa Clarita, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Dog limit
- 4 dogs without facility license
- Cat limit
- 10 cats without facility license
- Cat condition
- Spayed/neutered, kept mainly indoors
- Service dog exception
- Not counted, per Sec. 8.20.090
- Adopted
- Ordinance 11-13, June 28, 2011
Summary
Santa Clarita caps how many dogs and cats a household may keep without an animal facility license under Section 8.20.038: up to four dogs or up to ten cats, each individually licensed, with dogs enrolled in the mandatory spay and neuter program and cats spayed, neutered and kept mainly indoors.
A. Dogs. Up to four (4) dogs may be kept at any residence without an animal facility license, provided the dogs' owner or custodian licenses each individual dog and complies with the mandatory spay and neuter program for dogs, Section 8.20.350 et seq. For purposes of this section, a service dog licensed under Section 8.20.090 is not counted toward the number of dogs kept or maintained while such dog is serving a person who is disabled within the meaning of Government Code Section 12926(i) or (k). B. Cats. Up to ten (10) cats may be kept at any residence without an animal facility license, provided the cats' owner or custodian licenses each individual cat, has each cat spayed or neutered and keeps all cats primarily indoors.
Full Breakdown
038 of the Municipal Code sets the residential pet cap without a commercial animal facility license. 350 et seq. 090 while it is serving a person who is disabled within the meaning of Government Code Section 12926(i) or (k). Subsection B sets a separate cat limit of up to ten cats, conditioned on the owner licensing each cat individually, having each cat spayed or neutered, and keeping all cats primarily indoors. 050. 038 and the zoning cap can overlap for an all-altered household. Both limits were added to the code by Ordinance 11-13 on June 28, 2011.
Violations & Fines
Keeping more than four dogs or ten cats at a residence without first licensing the property as an animal facility under Chapter 8.28 violates Section 8.20.038. Because Section 8.20.038 is not among the misdemeanor sections listed in Section 8.04.060(B), a violation defaults to an infraction under Section 8.04.060(A), and the Department can also require the excess animals be covered by a facility permit or removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dogs can I legally keep at my Santa Clarita home?
Does a service dog count toward the four-dog limit?
Can I keep more than ten cats in Santa Clarita?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clarita
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