Glendale's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Glendale, California, there are 12 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Cat Rules

Glendale runs a voluntary trap-neuter-return program for feral cats under Chapter 6.03, and anyone acting as a caregiver for a feral cat colony must register for free with the city's contracted humane society under § 6.03.030. A colony of four or more registered, caregiver-managed feral cats is exempt from the city's general keeping-of-animals limits.

Key details: Registration fee: Free. Registers with: City-contracted humane society. Colony definition: 4 or more feral cats. City funding: None; program is volunteer-run. Default penalty: $100 to $500 infraction (§ 1.20.010(B)).

Chapter 6.03 sets no penalty of its own for failing to register as a feral cat caregiver, but Chapter 6.04's general violation clause makes any violation of Title 6 an infraction under § 1.20.010(B): up to $100 for a first offense, up to $200 for a second within a year, and up to $500 for each additional violation within that year (§ 6.04.010).

Pet Store Rules

Glendale Municipal Code Section 6.10.020 bans pet stores from selling, displaying or giving away dogs and cats in the city, limiting stores to hosting adoptions run by shelters, humane societies or rescue groups instead of commercial breeders.

Key details: Effective ordinance: Ord. 5748, effective Aug. 2011. Grace period: 1 year for existing pet stores. Allowed sellers: Shelters, humane societies, rescues only. Adoption events: Stores may host rescue adoptions. Penalty: Infraction, $100-$500.

Chapter 6.10 does not carry its own penalty clause, so a violation falls under the citywide default in Section 6.04.010(A): it is an infraction under Section 1.20.010(B), fined up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second violation within a year, and up to $500 for each further violation in that same year. The city's Community Development Department and code enforcement staff investigate complaints against pet stores selling animals outside the shelter, humane society or rescue exemptions.

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

Beekeeping

Glendale bans maintaining a beehive, nest or swarm that could endanger the public, but exempts registered professional beekeepers operating under the zoning code and bees kept for study or research that aren't allowed to fly free.

Key details: Governing chapter: GMC Chapter 8.76, Insect Control. Core rule: No hazardous beehive, nest or swarm. Exemption: LA County-registered professional beekeepers. Second exemption: Research/education bees kept confined. Penalty: Misdemeanor, per day of violation.

Maintaining or permitting a hazardous beehive, nest or swarm without qualifying as a registered professional beekeeper (or an exempt research/education use) violates Sec. 8.76.010(B) and is a misdemeanor under Sec. 8.76.020(A), with each day of the condition counted as a separate offense. Any violation is also declared a public nuisance subject to abatement under Sec. 8.76.020(B), letting the city compel removal independent of criminal charges.

Pet Limits

Glendale Municipal Code Section 6.08.130 treats any home with more than two dogs or more than three cats as a "kennel" that needs a city permit, and Section 6.08.160 caps every kennel permit at four dogs or six domestic cats over four months old.

Key details: Dog kennel threshold: More than 2 dogs needs permit. Cat kennel threshold: More than 3 cats needs permit. Absolute cap: 4 dogs or 6 cats max. Permit issuer: Community Development Department. No-permit penalty: Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months.

Keeping more than two dogs or three cats without first obtaining a kennel permit is a misdemeanor: Section 6.04.010(B) singles out a violation of Section 6.08.140 for misdemeanor treatment under Section 1.20.010(A), punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail, rather than the lighter infraction fines that apply to most Title 6 violations. Refusing to allow the Community Development Department to inspect the premises is separately grounds for revoking the permit under Section 6.08.150(E).

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

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Glendale zones veterinary offices, including hospitalization services, as a permitted use in the city's commercial districts under Table 30.12-A of Municipal Code § 30.12.020, so a vet clinic does not need a conditional use permit to open in a zone that lists a P for the use. Chapter 30.70 defines the use as a state-licensed medical facility for household pets that may include overnight animal care.

Key details: Zoning status: Permitted (P) use, no CUP required. Overnight care: Allowed under definition (not a kennel). Kennel threshold avoided: 4+ dogs/cats (§30.70.120) excludes vet offices. Governing sections: GMC §§ 30.12.020, 30.70.230.

Operating a veterinary office in a zone where Table 30.12-A does not list the use as permitted is an unpermitted land use, enforced like any other zoning violation under the citywide default in § 1.20.010(A): a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day of the unauthorized use counted separately. Community Development can also issue a notice and order to cease the use or seek an administrative citation before referring the matter for criminal prosecution.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Glendale gives residents more flexibility on veterinary clinic zoning.

Pet Groomer Rules

Pet grooming shops are a permitted commercial use in Glendale under Table 30.12-A of Municipal Code § 30.12.020, so a groomer can open in a qualifying commercial zone without a conditional use permit. Chapter 30.70's definition at § 30.70.170 draws a hard line for the use: pet grooming covers only grooming services and specifically excludes overnight boarding or veterinary services.

Key details: Zoning status: Permitted (P) use in Table 30.12-A. Permit needed: None beyond building permit/business license. Excluded activities: Overnight boarding, veterinary services. Kennel threshold: 4+ dogs or cats triggers CUP. Governing sections: GMC §§ 30.12.020, 30.70.170, 30.70.120.

A grooming business that starts boarding animals overnight without reclassifying and permitting the use as a kennel is operating outside its permitted-use approval, which Glendale enforces under the general zoning penalty in § 1.20.010(A): a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day of the unpermitted use a separate violation. Community Development can issue a notice and order requiring the business to stop overnight boarding or obtain the conditional use permit required for a kennel before continuing.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Glendale gives residents more flexibility on pet groomer rules.

Coyote Management

Glendale Municipal Code Section 6.04.140 bans feeding coyotes, raccoons, foxes and opossums anywhere in the city, and bars leaving any pet food outdoors between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Violations are cited by animal control officers as infractions under the city's general penalty schedule.

Key details: Covered animals: Coyotes, raccoons, foxes, opossums. Overnight curfew: No outdoor food 10 p.m.-6 a.m.. First-offense fine: Up to $100 (infraction). Repeat fine: Up to $500 per violation. Feral cat exception: Registered TNR caregivers exempt.

A first violation of Section 6.04.140 is an infraction under Section 1.20.010(B), carrying a fine of up to $100. A second violation within one year rises to a fine of up to $200, and each additional violation within that year is punishable by up to $500. Because coyote and predator feeding is not on the short list of Title 6 sections elevated to misdemeanor status under Section 6.04.010(B), repeated offenders still face escalating infraction fines rather than jail time, though the city can pursue separate nuisance abatement if the feeding creates an ongoing hazard.

Dog Leash Laws

Glendale Municipal Code Section 6.04.190 declares any dog or other non-cat animal running loose on a public street, alley, park or unenclosed lot a public nuisance. A dog escapes "at large" status only if held on a leash no longer than six feet by someone capable of controlling it, confined on private property, or secured inside a vehicle.

Key details: Leash length limit: Six feet, held continuously. Covered areas: Streets, alleys, parks, open lots. Cats exempted: Domestic/feral cats not "at large". First-offense fine: Up to $100 (infraction). Failure to surrender stray: Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months.

A first at-large violation is an infraction under Section 1.20.010(B), fined up to $100, escalating to $200 for a second violation and $500 for each further violation within the same year. Failing to surrender a captured stray to an animal control officer on demand under Section 6.04.220 is treated more seriously: Section 6.04.010(B) elevates that specific offense to a misdemeanor, punishable under Section 1.20.010(A) by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail.

Breed Restrictions

California law, not a Glendale ordinance, sets the boundary here: Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 lets Glendale run its own potentially-dangerous-dog program but bars any program from singling out a specific breed. Glendale's own code separately defines and penalizes conduct-based "vicious dogs" at Section 6.08.045.

Key details: State rule: No breed-specific dog programs (§31683). Local definition: "Vicious dog" by conduct (§6.08.045). Bite exceptions: Trespassers, tormentors, attackers excluded. Impoundment: Up to 15 days if non-biting. Penalty: Misdemeanor if owner knew dog vicious.

Violating Glendale's local vicious-dog ordinance is a misdemeanor: an owner who knows or should have known a dog is vicious is guilty of a misdemeanor if it bites again under Section 6.08.045(D), while Section 6.08.050 lets a health officer, peace officer or animal control officer seize and impound a dog immediately on reasonable indication of viciousness, with the Humane Society holding a biting dog through the completion of court proceedings and a non-biting vicious dog for up to 15 days before conditional release. Failing to surrender a dog subject to impoundment is a separate misdemeanor.

Compared to other cities, Glendale takes a harder line on breed restrictions. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Chickens & Livestock

Glendale caps most households at 12 rabbits, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, pigeons or pheasants combined within 300 feet of another home under § 6.04.050, while roosters are barred outright near dwellings and all kept fowl must live in a flyproof pen. Distance rules under § 6.04.030 push smaller numbers of fowl at least 50 feet from any home.

Key details: Max fowl within 300 ft: 12 combined, any species. Min distance, small numbers: 50 ft from any home. School/hospital buffer: 150 ft. Roosters: Not allowed near dwellings. Pen requirement: Flyproof pen for all fowl.

Chicken and fowl violations fall under Title 6's general infraction schedule in § 6.04.010 and § 1.20.010(B): up to $100 for a first violation, up to $200 for a second within a year, and up to $500 for each additional violation within that year. Each animal kept over the limit, or each unpermitted rooster, can be charged as a separate ongoing violation.

Exotic Pets

Glendale follows California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) regulations on exotic and wild animals. Many exotic species are prohibited in California, including ferrets, hedgehogs, and certain reptiles. Permits are required for restricted species.

Key details: Authority: CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. Prohibited: Ferrets, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, monkeys. Allowed: Non-venomous reptiles, certain birds. Penalty: Misdemeanor, confiscation, fines.

Possessing prohibited exotic animals is a misdemeanor under California law. Animals are confiscated and owners face fines. Repeated violations may result in criminal prosecution.

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

Wildlife Feeding

Glendale bars feeding coyotes, raccoons, foxes, opossums or any other nondomesticated mammalian predator anywhere in the city under § 6.04.140(A), and separately bans feeding pigeons or leaving pigeon-edible food on any public street, sidewalk or public building under § 6.04.150. Nobody may leave food outdoors for any animal between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Key details: Predator feeding: Banned citywide, § 6.04.140(A). Nighttime food curfew: 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., all animals. Pigeon feeding: Banned on public property, § 6.04.150. Rescue exception: Injured/unweaned animal, until pickup. Penalty: $100-$500 infraction, § 1.20.010(B).

Both sections fall under Title 6's general penalty scheme: § 6.04.010 makes a violation of § 6.04.140 or § 6.04.150 an infraction under § 1.20.010(B), punishable by up to $100 for a first offense, up to $200 for a second within a year, and up to $500 for each further violation within that year. Animal control officers or the contracted humane society can issue the citation.

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

The Bottom Line

Glendale is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 5 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Glendale, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

This guide is based on Glendale's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.