Animal Ordinances in Daly City, CA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Daly City or are thinking about moving there, animal ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Daly City has 9 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of animal ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Animal Hoarding

Daly City does not have a stand-alone 'animal-hoarding' ordinance, but the conduct is reachable through Daly City Municipal Code Title 6 (Animals), Title 7 (Health and Sanitation), and Title 8 (Public Peace, Morals and Welfare), and is heavily backstopped by California state law. Cal. Penal Code §597 makes it a misdemeanor or felony to fail to provide food, water, shelter, and veterinary care to any animal - the core fact pattern of hoarding. Cal. Penal Code §597.9 separately bars any person previously convicted of animal cruelty from owning or possessing animals for 5 years (misdemeanor) or 10 years (felony). The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (Coyote Point Shelter) handles animal-control intake and cruelty investigations for San Mateo County.

Key details: Primary state law: Cal. Penal Code §597 (animal cruelty). Post-conviction ban: Cal. Penal Code §597.9 (5 or 10 yrs). Local backstop: Daly City Muni Code Titles 6, 7, 8. Investigating agency: Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA. Maximum fine (PC §597): $20,000 + forfeiture.

Cal. Penal Code §597 violations are punishable as misdemeanors or felonies with fines up to $20,000 plus jail or prison time. Cal. Penal Code §597.9 violations carry a $1,000 fine plus a renewed possession ban. Animals are forfeited to the impounding agency and the convicted person must pay impoundment costs. Daly City Title 1 adds a general penalty of up to $1,000 per day for continuing local-code violations.

Compared to other cities, Daly City takes a harder line on animal hoarding. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Chickens & Livestock

Daly City bans roosters (Section 6.08.080) and all pigs, hogs, and swine (Section 6.08.040) anywhere in the city. Chickens and other fowl are not prohibited outright but may not run at large or enter neighboring property, and horses require an annual permit with half-acre minimum lot size.

Key details: Roosters: Prohibited citywide (Sec. 6.08.080). Pigs, hogs, swine: Prohibited citywide (Sec. 6.08.040). Hens and other fowl: Allowed but may not run at large or enter other property. Baby chick sales: Banned as pets or novelties; food-raising dealers excepted. Horses: Annual permit; 1/2-acre minimum for 2 horses.

Keeping roosters or swine, or letting fowl run at large, is an infraction under Section 6.10.010 with fines up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second, and $500 for each additional violation of the same ordinance within one year. Keeping a horse without a permit triggers a penalty equal to the regular permit fee plus an additional charge under Section 6.12.040, and offensive or unsanitary horsekeeping is a declared nuisance under Section 6.12.230.

Compared to other cities, Daly City takes a harder line on chickens & livestock. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Wildlife Feeding

Daly City Municipal Code Section 6.08.090 makes it unlawful to feed any bird you do not own, or to place feed intended to attract birds, on any city property or right-of-way (except city-authorized feeding stations) and on any other person's private property without express permission.

Key details: Feeding wild birds on city property: Prohibited, including all city rights-of-way. Feeding on someone else's property: Prohibited without that owner's express permission. Feeding on your own property: Not prohibited by Section 6.08.090. Exception: Feeding stations authorized in writing by the city manager. Fines: $100 / $200 / $500 escalating within one year.

Violations are infractions under Municipal Code Section 6.10.010, punishable by fines up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation of the same ordinance within one year, and $500 for each additional violation within one year; administrative citations under Section 6.04.200 carry the same escalating amounts.

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

Pet Limits

No Daly City ordinance sets a fixed numeric limit on the number of dogs or cats per household. Under the countywide San Mateo County animal control program that Daly City has adopted, keeping more than four dogs and cats requires an annual Fancier Permit, and unaltered dogs or cats over six months require a breeding permit.

Key details: Numeric city pet limit: None in Daly City Municipal Code. Fancier Permit: Required to harbor more than 4 dogs/cats; $100 annual fee. Breeding permit: Required for unaltered dogs/cats over 6 months; $150 annual fee. Licensing: Every dog and cat over 3 months must be licensed. Administering agency: San Mateo County Animal Control & Licensing, (650) 573-3726.

Keeping more than four dogs and cats without the required county Fancier Permit, or an unaltered animal without a breeding permit, can draw administrative citations of $100, $200, then $500 under Sections 6.04.200 and 6.04.230, plus infraction fines under Section 6.10.010. Nuisance conditions can trigger abatement orders under Section 6.08.060.

The rules around pet limits in Daly City lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Daly City does not require all pets to be sterilized, but Municipal Code Section 6.04.280 charges a refundable $100 spay/neuter fee to redeem any impounded unaltered animal and makes sterilization mandatory after a second impound within three years. Unaltered dogs and cats over six months also need a county breeding permit.

Key details: Universal mandate: None; sterilization not required for all pets. First impound (unaltered): $100 spay/neuter fee, refundable if altered within 30 days. Second impound in 3 years: Mandatory spay/neuter before redemption. Dangerous animals: Must be altered within 45 days of permit issuance. License fee difference: Unaltered dog $55/yr vs altered $25/yr.

An unaltered animal impounded a second time within three years cannot be redeemed until it is sterilized at the owner's cost. Failure to hold a required breeding permit or comply with permit conditions can result in administrative citations of $100, $200, then $500 under Sections 6.04.200 and 6.04.230, plus infraction fines under Section 6.10.010.

Dog Leash Laws

Daly City regulates dogs through Title 6 (Animals) of its Municipal Code, which incorporates California Food & Agricultural Code Section 30951 (dogs at large must wear an ID/license tag) and Section 30954 (female dogs in heat may not run at large). The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, headquartered in San Mateo at Coyote Point Shelter, provides animal control field services to San Mateo County jurisdictions. Dogs over four months must be licensed and currently vaccinated against rabies under Cal. Health & Safety Code Section 121690. Dogs may not be loose off the owner's property unless under direct physical control (leash). Off-leash use is restricted to designated areas only. Violations generally start as infractions and dogs found at large are subject to impoundment by the contracted shelter.

Key details: Code title: Daly City Municipal Code, Title 6 (Animals). State authority: Cal. Food & Ag Code Sections 30951, 30954. Animal control provider: Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (Coyote Point Shelter). License/vaccination: Required at 4 months under Cal. HSC Section 121690. Off-leash areas: Limited to designated park zones; default leash everywhere else.

Dog at large or off-leash in public typically cited as an infraction under Title 6, with fines that escalate on repeat offense. Unlicensed dogs incur a late penalty plus the license fee at redemption. Impound fees, board, and veterinary costs are charged for any animal picked up by PHS/SPCA field officers. Failure to vaccinate against rabies is a separate Health & Safety Code Section 121690 violation. Bites or attacks trigger a 10-day rabies quarantine and may escalate to a Food & Ag Code Section 31602 potentially-dangerous-dog hearing.

Beekeeping

Daly City has no comprehensive backyard-beekeeping ordinance in its code; bee-keeping is governed primarily by California state law. Under Cal. Food & Agricultural Code §29040, every apiary owner, broker, or possessor in California must annually register the number of colonies and the location of each apiary with the county agricultural commissioner by January 1 (or within 30 days thereafter). Apiary registration data is confidential under FAC §29041 and may only be shared with the state, county ag departments, and licensed pesticide applicators. Hives kept in Daly City must not create a nuisance under Daly City Municipal Code Title 6 / Title 8 (Public Peace, Morals and Welfare).

Key details: State registration: Cal. Food & Ag Code §29040 - annual, by Jan 1. Confidentiality: Cal. Food & Ag Code §29041. Local ordinance: No standalone Daly City beekeeping permit. Enforcement agency: San Mateo Co. Dept. of Agriculture. Nuisance limit: Daly City Muni Code Titles 6 and 8.

Failure to register an apiary is a violation of Cal. Food & Ag Code §29040 and is enforced by the county agricultural commissioner. Hives that create a nuisance are subject to Daly City Title 1 general-penalty enforcement (typically up to $1,000 per day for continuing violations) and to abatement under Title 8.

Breed Restrictions

Daly City has no breed-specific restrictions. Its Municipal Code regulates dangerous and vicious animals based solely on behavior, using San Mateo County's own program adopted in place of the state Food and Agricultural Code procedures, and California law (Food & Agricultural Code Section 31683) forbids declaring any breed dangerous or vicious.

Key details: Breed-specific bans: None; prohibited by Cal. Food & Agr. Code Sec. 31683. Dangerous animal permit: $300 fee plus $100 inspection; behavior-based. Permit conditions: 4-ft leash and muzzle off property, locked enclosure, microchip, spay/neuter. State procedures: F&A Code 31601 et seq. not adopted; county program applies. Vicious animals: Misdemeanor to keep; subject to euthanasia after hearing.

Keeping an animal declared dangerous without the required permit, or keeping a vicious animal at all, is a misdemeanor under Section 6.04.240(b); other Title 6 violations are infractions with fines up to $100/$200/$500. An unpermitted dangerous animal must be surrendered and may be humanely euthanized, and permits can be revoked under Section 6.04.110.

The rules around breed restrictions in Daly City lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Exotic Pets

Daly City Municipal Code Section 6.04.060(e) bars possessing any animal designated dangerous or vicious by another jurisdiction without prior written permission from the animal control manager, and the adopted fee schedule includes a $100 annual Fancier Permit and/or Exotic Pet fee. State law (14 CCR 671) separately bans many exotic species outright.

Key details: Exotic pet fee: $100 annual Fancier Permit and/or Exotic Pet fee (Sec. 6.04.350(d)). Dangerous-designated animals: Written animal control permission required before possession. State-banned species: Ferrets, hedgehogs, monkeys, and others under 14 CCR 671. Administering agency: San Mateo County Animal Control & Licensing.

Possessing an out-of-jurisdiction dangerous-designated animal without written permission is grounds for immediate seizure and impoundment under Section 6.04.060(e), with infraction fines up to $100/$200/$500 under Section 6.10.010 and administrative citations under Section 6.04.230. Possessing state-restricted species can bring separate CDFW penalties and confiscation under state law.

The Bottom Line

Daly City is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Daly City, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Daly City can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.