How Chino Handles Animal Ordinances: A Practical Guide

Chino maintains 132 local ordinances across all categories, and 7 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Chino falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Chickens & Livestock

Chino allows horses, goats, sheep, and other livestock only in the RD-1 and RD-2 zoning districts, at set animal-per-lot-area ratios, with minimum lot size, fencing, and waste-management standards.

Key details: Where allowed: RD-1 and RD-2 zoning districts. Horses/mules: 1 per 6,000 sq. ft. of lot. Goats (female)/sheep: 1 per 3,000 sq. ft. of lot. Minimum lot: 2 acres for primary animal keeping. Prohibited: On-site slaughter; crowing poultry.

Keeping animals beyond the table's per-lot limits, without the required fencing or setbacks, or slaughtering an animal on any lot is a zoning code violation subject to the city's standard enforcement and penalty provisions.

Dog Leash Laws

Chino bans dogs from running loose on streets or other people's property, requiring restraint by a chain or leash no longer than six feet whenever a dog leaves its owner's premises.

Key details: Governing section: CMC § 6.08.060. Leash length: Not exceeding six feet. Where required: Streets, public places, others' property. Exception: Own premises and qualifying ranch land.

Letting a dog run at large off the owner's own property without a leash or chain under six feet is a misdemeanor under Chino's general penalty provisions.

Beekeeping

Chino bars beekeeping from operating as a home occupation, listing it by name among the business types expressly prohibited from being run out of a residence.

Key details: Regulated as: Prohibited home occupation. Other banned home biz: Gun sales, barber shops, animal breeding. Not addressed: Noncommercial hobby beekeeping caps. Adopted: Ord. 2010-05, 2010.

Operating a beekeeping or honey-sales business from a Chino residence violates § 20.21.040(D)(5); the city can deny or revoke the home occupation permit and pursue code enforcement.

This is one of the stricter rules in Chino's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Pet Limits

Chino caps noncommercial pet keeping at 4 dogs or cats per single-family dwelling and 2 per multi-family dwelling under Table 20.21-1 of the zoning code. The cap sits alongside a citywide ban on slaughtering animals on any residential lot and a prohibition on crowing poultry, all enforced through the director of community development.

Key details: Dogs/cats, single-family: 4 per dwelling unit maximum. Dogs/cats, multi-family: 2 per dwelling unit maximum. Containment fence: 5 feet minimum height, chain-link/wood/masonry. Water-well setback: 100 feet minimum from domestic wells. Slaughter: prohibited on any lot or parcel.

Keeping more dogs or cats than Table 20.21-1 allows, or keeping any animal without the fencing, containment, or well-setback standards in Section 20.21.030(A), is a zoning code violation subject to Chino's general penalty in Section 1.12.010: a misdemeanor unless charged as an infraction, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in custody, or both, with the excess animals also treated as an abatable public nuisance and each day of noncompliance a separate offense.

Breed Restrictions

Chino does not regulate dogs by breed. Instead, Municipal Code Section 6.08.080 bans harboring or keeping a "vicious dog," defined purely by conduct: a dog that has bitten a person or another animal on one or more prior occasions. Keeping one after that is a misdemeanor, and any dog shown to have bitten someone faces a mandatory 12-day quarantine.

Key details: Trigger: Dog has bitten a person or animal once. Breed named: None; definition is conduct-based only. Penalty: Up to $1,000 fine and/or 6 months jail. Bite quarantine: 12 days, owner's expense possible. Adopting ordinance: Ord. 2004-05, § 10, 2004.

Harboring or keeping a dog that has bitten a person or animal is a misdemeanor under Section 6.08.080, enforced through Section 1.12.010: a fine up to one thousand dollars, imprisonment up to six months, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. The city may also pursue civil remedies, including injunctive relief, under Section 1.12.010(D).

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Chino bars veterinary clinics from its neighborhood-commercial and office zones outright and requires a conditional use permit everywhere else they're allowed, with all animals housed indoors.

Key details: CN, CO commercial zones: Not permitted. CG, CR, CS commercial zones: Conditional use permit. BP, M1, M2 industrial zones: Conditional use permit. AD (airport) zone: Not permitted. Animal housing: Indoors only.

Operating a veterinary clinic in a zone marked not permitted, or without an approved conditional use permit where one is required, is a zoning code violation; keeping animals outdoors at a clinic is treated as an unpermitted kennel use.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Chino actively enforces its veterinary clinic zoning requirements.

Exotic Pets

Chino allows most exotic pets, llamas, alpacas, emus, only with an administrative approval in the RD 1 and RD 2 districts, one animal per lot, while excessively large, ferocious, wild, or venomous animals are banned outright.

Key details: Governing section: CMC § 20.21.030(B)(6). Permit: Administrative Approval required. Where allowed: RD 1 and RD 2 districts only. Limit: One exotic animal per lot. Banned outright: Excessively large, ferocious, wild, venomous animals.

Keeping a prohibited exotic or wild animal, or keeping any Exotic Animal without the required Administrative Approval, is a code violation enforceable through Chino's general penalty and administrative citation provisions.

This is one of the stricter rules in Chino's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

The Bottom Line

Chino is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 7 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Chino, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Chino's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.