Long Beach's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter
Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Long Beach, 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.
Pet Store Rules
LBMC § 6.16.062 bars animal shops from selling, bartering, or transferring dogs, cats, or rabbits unless the animal was bred locally under a City breeding permit, or came from a public shelter or a private rescue/humane organization: an adoption-sourcing rule that took effect October 1, 2015.
Key details: Compliant sources: City-permitted breeder, public shelter, or rescue. Certificate posting: Within 3 feet of each animal's enclosure. Effective date: October 1, 2015. Covered animals: Dogs, cats, and rabbits.
An animal shop selling dogs, cats, or rabbits from a noncompliant source, or failing to post the required certificate of source at each enclosure, violates § 6.16.062 and is subject to the Chapter 6.16 enforcement scheme under § 6.16.210: criminal citation authority for Animal Care Services Bureau officers and administrative fines that escalate for repeat violations of the same section within twelve months, assessed and collected directly by the Bureau.
Compared to other cities, Long Beach takes a harder line on pet store rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.
Pet Limits
Long Beach caps household pets at four weaned animals per site under Municipal Code § 21.51.210, though the limit doesn't count fish, rodents other than rabbits, or caged birds kept indoors. A residential dog breeder permitted under § 6.16.190 can keep an entire litter until the puppies turn four months old.
Key details: Base pet cap: 4 weaned household pets per site. Exempt from cap: Fish, most rodents, caged birds. Breeder exception: Permitted litters kept until 4 months old. Horses: Only in Horse Overlay District (Ch. 21.38). Wild/dangerous animals: Barred from residential zones.
Keeping more than four weaned household pets, or keeping animals that generate offensive noise, odor or property damage, violates LBMC § 21.51.210 and is enforced as a zoning violation under § 1.32.060: a notice with a 10-day cure period, then escalating $100, $250 and $1,000 misdemeanor citations for continued or repeated violations, alongside Title 6 animal-control enforcement for dangerous or wild animals.
Cat Rules
LBMC § 6.08.010(B) requires every cat over four months old to wear a City-issued license tag or carry an identifiable microchip at all times. Section 6.08.090 blocks licensing an unaltered cat unless a veterinarian certifies it unsuited for spay/neuter, tying licensing directly to the City's mandatory-alteration rule.
Key details: License age trigger: Cats over 4 months old. Compliance options: Tag or implanted microchip. Unaltered-cat license: Requires vet unsuitability certificate. Late penalty grace period: 60 days from renewal date. First-offense penalty: Infraction; repeat is a misdemeanor.
Violating any Chapter 6.08 licensing provision, including the cat-tag/microchip requirement, is a criminal infraction for a first offense and a misdemeanor for any repeat offense within twelve months under § 6.08.015, with penalties set in Chapter 1.32. The Bureau may additionally assess administrative fines under Chapter 6.16, and refusing to show a license or tag on an officer's demand is a separate violation under § 6.08.080.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
LBMC § 6.16.085 bars anyone from keeping a cat past four months or a dog past six months unaltered, unless the animal qualifies for a listed exception. Exceptions require veterinary certification or Animal Care Services Bureau approval at license renewal, so most pets in Long Beach must be spayed or neutered by default.
Key details: Cat cutoff age: 4 months old. Dog cutoff age: 6 months old. Effective date: October 1, 2015. Exemption proof required at: Every license application/renewal. Enforcing agency: Animal Care Services Bureau.
Violations of Chapter 6.16, including the unaltered-pet prohibition, carry criminal and administrative citation authority for the Director and Animal Care Services Bureau enforcement officers under LBMC § 6.16.210. Civil fines are assessed by administrative citation with escalating amounts for a second violation of the same section within one year and each additional violation after that, payable directly to the Animal Care Services Bureau, and each day of violation is a separate offense.
Compared to other cities, Long Beach takes a harder line on mandatory spay/neuter. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Long Beach lets small-scale veterinary care operate by right in most commercial zones, but boarding and adoption space triggers Municipal Code § 21.45.133: the site cannot adjoin a residential district, boarding is capped at 50% of gross floor area, and operators must document sound-abatement compliance before opening.
Key details: Development standard: LBMC § 21.45.133. Residential adjacency: prohibited unless mixed-use PD exempt. Boarding/adoption cap: 50% of gross floor area. Animal density minimum: 75 sq. ft. floor area per animal. Sound documentation: licensed acoustical engineer report.
Noncompliance with Section 21.45.133's development standards or operating boarding space beyond the permitted floor-area cap is enforced as a Title 21 zoning violation under Section 21.10.080: a $100 infraction citation for the first offense, $250 if it recurs within six months, then referral for misdemeanor prosecution carrying up to a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail under Section 1.32.010, plus possible civil abatement.
Dog Leash Laws
LBMC § 6.16.100 requires a dog on any public street, sidewalk, park, or private property open to the public to be on a secure leash no more than six feet long, held continuously by a person capable of controlling it. Designated off-leash park areas carry their own eighteen-item rulebook.
Key details: Maximum leash length: Six feet. Off-leash park hours: 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.. Off-leash minimum age: 4 months old. Witness threshold for citation: 3+ signed declarations within 1 year. Enforcing agency: Animal Care Services Bureau.
Failure to leash a dog under § 6.16.100 is enforceable by the Director, Animal Care Services Bureau officers and inspectors, and, for parks and beaches specifically, designated Parks, Recreation and Marine and marine safety personnel, all with arrest and citation authority under Penal Code § 836.5. Violations draw criminal and/or administrative citations under Chapters 1.32 and 6.16, with escalating civil fines for repeat violations of the same section within twelve months.
Exotic Pets
Exotic pets regulated by state and city. Ferrets and hedgehogs are ILLEGAL in California. CDFW permits required for regulated species. City prohibits dangerous animals.
Key details: Ferrets: ILLEGAL in California. Hedgehogs: ILLEGAL in California. State Law: CA Code of Regs §671 (CDFW). Permits: Required for CDFW-regulated species.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Long Beach actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.
Pet Groomer Rules
Long Beach zones animal grooming shops under LBMC Table 32-1 as an "indoor animal related use," permitted by right in most commercial districts. Any such business must meet the § 21.45.133 development standards for location, noise control, flooring, ventilation, and animal density regardless of whether it also boards animals.
Key details: Governing section: LBMC § 21.45.133. Zoning table: Table 32-1, § 21.32.110. Residential adjacency: Site may not abut residential district. Boarding/adoption cap: 50% of gross floor area. Animal density minimum: 75 sq ft floor area per animal.
A grooming shop that skips the acoustical engineer's noise documentation, exceeds the 25%/50% adoption-boarding floor-area caps, or sites within a prohibited residential-adjacent lot can be denied its business license or Administrative Use Permit, or ordered to correct the deficiency by Development Services before opening. Separate noise-ordinance citations under Chapter 8.80 apply if barking or equipment noise from the shop disturbs neighboring uses after occupancy.
Chickens & Livestock
Long Beach caps residential goat-keeping at exactly two goats per property under LBMC § 6.20.170, and every goat requires an Animal Care Services Bureau permit with a microchip. Section 6.20.180 mandates neutering all male goats, and goats must stay at least ten feet from any neighboring dwelling.
Key details: Goat cap per property: Exactly 2 (offspring exempt up to 6 mo). Permit requirement: Bureau permit + microchip. Neutering mandate: All male goats must be neutered. Dwelling setback: 10 feet minimum. Enclosure size (2 miniature goats): 250 sq ft permeable land.
Violations of the goat-keeping rules in Chapter 6.20 draw administrative fines under § 6.16.210.H, escalating for a second and further violations of the same Code section within twelve months, in addition to criminal penalties under Chapter 1.32. The Director can also deny, suspend, or revoke a goat permit for noncompliance with the permit's conditions or any Chapter 6.20 requirement.
This is one of the stricter rules in Long Beach's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Beekeeping
Long Beach caps residential beekeeping at four hives per property under LBMC § 6.24.010 and requires County registration filed with the Director of the City's Animal Care Services Bureau. Hives can't sit in a front yard, must stay at least ten feet from every property line, and need a six-foot flight barrier or eight-foot elevation.
Key details: Max hives: 4 per residential property, § 6.24.010(A). Registration: with LA County, filed with Animal Care Services. Front-yard placement: prohibited. Setback: 10 ft minimum from all property lines. Flight barrier: 6-ft screen or 8-ft elevation required.
Keeping more than four hives, skipping County registration, or violating the front-yard, setback, screening or water-source rules is a misdemeanor under the citywide penalty scheme in LBMC § 1.32.010, up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both, with every day of noncompliance charged as a separate offense; the condition may also be declared a public nuisance.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Long Beach actively enforces its beekeeping requirements.
Breed Restrictions
Long Beach regulates dangerous animals by behavior, not breed: LBMC § 6.16.250 defines a "vicious animal" as one that bites or attempts to bite without provocation. A Hearing Officer can declare an animal vicious after a public hearing, and the Director may order humane destruction ten days after written notice.
Key details: Vicious-animal standard: Unprovoked bite or attack propensity. Hearing timeline: 5-10 business days after notice. Decision standard: Preponderance of the evidence. Destruction notice period: 10 days written notice minimum. Breed-specific rule: None: behavior-based only.
An owner who violates a rule or regulation issued under § 6.16.290.A for a vicious animal is guilty of a misdemeanor and/or subject to administrative fines and penalties under § 6.16.210, and the animal is impounded and subject to summary destruction after ten days' written notice. Failing to surrender an animal for impoundment when subject to this Chapter is separately a misdemeanor under § 6.16.260.C.
Compared to other cities, Long Beach takes a harder line on breed restrictions. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.
Wildlife Feeding
Long Beach prohibits feeding wildlife in public parks and beaches under LBMC Title 16. Feeding pigeons and other pest wildlife may constitute a nuisance violation under the city's nuisance code Chapter 9.37.
Key details: Parks/Beaches: Feeding wildlife prohibited. Code: LBMC Title 16. Nuisance: LBMC Ch. 9.37 may apply. Enforcement: Code Enforcement and Animal Care.
The rules around wildlife feeding in Long Beach lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.
The Bottom Line
Long Beach is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 6 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Long Beach, 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 Long Beach 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.