Tustin, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 4221(a)(1), part of the general prohibitions in Chapter 2 of Article 4 (Animals and Fowl), makes it unlawful to keep, maintain, or cause to be kept or maintained on any single parcel of property in the City more than three dogs or more than three common house cats, except animals under three months of age, or any combination of dogs and cats totaling more than three. The three-month carve-out means a litter of young puppies or kittens does not itself put a household over the limit while they are still nursing age, but once they age past three months they count toward the cap.

The same subsection sets parallel limits for other animals kept on a residential parcel, including a ten-animal combined cap for birds, fowl, and small mammals, and separate rules for roosters, beehives, and wild animals. Section 4221(d) carves out an exception for animals kept in authorized pet shops and kennels, so a business permitted under Sections 4206 through 4209 is not bound by the three-dog, three-cat residential ceiling. Because Tustin adopts most of its animal control program from Orange County, day-to-day enforcement, including complaint response and impoundment, runs through OC Animal Care, while the parcel limit itself is Tustin's own local amendment.