Vista, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

010(F)(1) sets Vista's residential pet cap: one adult dog and one adult cat for every 5,000 square feet of land on the parcel, with an absolute ceiling of four adult dogs and four adult cats per lot regardless of how large the property is, and puppies or kittens under four months are not counted toward either limit. The same subsection, part 2, caps other outdoor pets, hens, rabbits, and similar small domesticated animals, at no more than two of any one type, or combination of types, per lot.

360 defines a kennel as any lot or premises where nine or more dogs, cats, or similar domestic animals in combination are kept for more than ten days, whether for pleasure, profit, breeding, boarding, or sale, and a kennel is a distinct, more heavily regulated use, not a by-right residential pet count. 055, and one horse per acre (plus one more per additional half-acre) with a minor use permit required below one acre. 010(F) also folds in a nuisance standard that applies to every animal kept under these limits: all poultry and animals must be kept in a manner that prevents offensive odors, flies, dust, and noise, and failure to do so is itself declared a public nuisance and a misdemeanor.