Animal Ordinances in Rialto, CA

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

Dog Leash Laws

Rialto bans dogs running loose in public places without a leash, the only exception being a city-approved off-leash dog park. Owners also must carry waste bags and pick up after their dog on public or private property, with escalating fines starting at fifty dollars for a first violation.

Key details: Leash required: In all public places. Max leash length: 6 feet. Off-leash exception: City-approved dog parks only. Waste pickup: Required, must carry bags. First-offense fine: $50, rising to $100 + impound.

RMC 6.04.300 sets escalating fines for any Title 6 violation, including an unleashed dog: fifty dollars for a first offense in a twelve-month period, seventy-five dollars for a second, and one hundred dollars plus impoundment of the animal for a third. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.

Microchipping

Rialto has no citywide microchip mandate for ordinary pets, but any dog formally declared "potentially dangerous" by the city's animal control board must carry a nationally recognized microchip registration certificate in its file, along with a current photo, proof of insurance or a surety bond, and a distinct second tag at all times.

Key details: Applies to: Dogs designated "potentially dangerous". Requires: Microchip registration certificate on file. Also requires: Photo, bond/insurance, 2nd tag. Max penalty (dangerous): $500 fine / 6 months jail. Max penalty (vicious): $1,000 fine / 1 year jail.

Any violation of Chapter 6.05 involving a potentially dangerous dog, including failing to maintain the microchip registration certificate or the required second tag, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to five hundred dollars, up to six months in county jail, or both. A violation involving a dog additionally designated "vicious" carries a fine of up to one thousand dollars and up to a year in jail (RMC 6.05.170).

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Rialto actively enforces its microchipping requirements.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Rialto permits animal hospitals by right in the C-3 general commercial zone under RMC 18.34.020(B), but requires a conditional development permit for the same use in the Planned Industrial Development zone under RMC 18.40.030(A). Wherever a veterinary office or animal hospital locates, Section 18.58.050(E)(5) requires one parking space for every two hundred fifty square feet of gross floor area.

Key details: C-3 zone: Animal hospital permitted by right. PID zone: Requires conditional development permit. Parking ratio: 1 space per 250 sq ft. Governing sections: RMC 18.34.020(B); 18.40.030(A); 18.58.050(E)(5). Not listed in: Residential, C-1, C-2 zones.

Opening an animal hospital in the Planned Industrial Development zone without the conditional development permit Section 18.40.030(A) requires is a zoning violation enforceable under Chapter 18.66, and the planning commission can deny, condition, or later revoke the permit for noncompliance. Providing less parking than the one-space-per-250-square-foot ratio set by Section 18.58.050(E)(5) can hold up building permit issuance or trigger a parking variance requirement before occupancy is approved.

Beekeeping

Bees are a permitted use only in Rialto's A-1 agricultural zone, where hives must be at least 200 feet from any dwelling other than the beekeeper's own. Residential zone permitted-use lists do not include bees.

Key details: Permitted zone: A-1 agricultural zone only. Hive setback: 200 ft from any non-owner dwelling. Residential zones: Bees not a permitted use. Zoning enforcement: Animal code Section 6.04.240.

Keeping bees outside the A-1 zone, or hives within 200 feet of a neighbor's dwelling, is a zoning violation enforceable through Section 6.04.240 and infraction fines of $50 to $100 under Section 6.04.300.

Chickens & Livestock

Roosters and other noisy fowl are prohibited as a public nuisance, and barnyard animals such as pigs, goats, and sheep are not allowed in Rialto's residential zones. Poultry and livestock keeping is permitted only in the A-1 agricultural zone, subject to setbacks and per-acre limits.

Key details: Roosters: Prohibited citywide as noisy fowl. Barnyard animals: Not allowed in residential zones. Livestock zone: A-1 agricultural zone only. Livestock cap: 2 animals per lot under 1 acre. Enclosure setback: 70 ft from neighboring dwellings.

Keeping prohibited animals is a public nuisance subject to abatement, and an infraction under Section 6.04.300 with escalating fines of $50, $75, and $100 plus impoundment; each day is a separate offense.

Pet Limits

Rialto caps household pets at four weaned dogs and cats combined, and no more than three of them may be dogs. The limit appears in Rialto Municipal Code Section 6.04.240 and the residential zoning rules in Section 18.10.020.

Key details: Total pet cap: 4 weaned dogs and cats combined. Dog cap: 3 dogs maximum. Weaned defined: 4 months of age or older. More animals: Requires kennel license where zoned.

Exceeding the pet limit is an infraction under Section 6.04.300, with fines of $50, $75, then $100 plus impoundment of all animals for repeat offenses within twelve months.

Breed Restrictions

Rialto's municipal code contains no breed-specific restrictions; its dangerous-dog rules in Chapter 6.05 apply based on a dog's behavior. California state law forbids cities from declaring any breed dangerous or vicious and limits breed-specific ordinances to spay/neuter and breeding programs.

Key details: Breed bans: Prohibited by California state law. Rialto breed rules: None; code is behavior-based. Dangerous-dog process: Animal control board hearing. Vicious-dog penalty: Up to $1,000 and one year jail.

Under Section 6.05.170, a violation involving a potentially dangerous dog is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and/or six months in county jail; violations involving a vicious dog carry up to $1,000 and/or one year.

Pet Groomer Rules

Rialto Municipal Code Sec. 18.32.020(C)(13) permits dog grooming shops as a matter of right in the C-2 central commercial zone, on the condition that no dogs are kept on the premises overnight. Separately, Section 5.68.070(A) bars animal grooming facilities from operating as home occupations, so a residential-based grooming business is not allowed anywhere in the city.

Key details: Zone allowed: C-2 Central Commercial only. Condition: No dogs kept overnight. Home-based grooming: Prohibited as home occupation. Governing sections: RMC 18.32.020(C)(13); 5.68.070(A). Permit type: By-right in C-2, no CDP needed.

Keeping dogs on the premises overnight breaches the condition attached to Section 18.32.020(C)(13) and can trigger code enforcement action against the C-2 business, since the overnight restriction is what keeps grooming a permitted use rather than a kennel or animal hospital requiring a conditional development permit. Operating a grooming business from a home, in violation of the Section 5.68.070(A) exclusion, exposes the operator to denial or revocation of any home occupation permit and a business license violation.

Cat Rules

Unlike dogs, cats are written out of Rialto's at-large and stray-animal rules: the code's own definition of "stray animal" excludes cats, and the director's duty to impound loose animals specifically excludes cats found running at large on private property.

Key details: Cats excluded from: "Stray animal" definition. At-large impoundment duty: Expressly excludes cats. Cats impounded only if: Sick, injured, abandoned, or surrendered. Dogs, by contrast: Fully covered by leash/at-large law.

There is no at-large citation for a roaming cat under RMC 6.04.060 or 6.04.250, since both expressly exclude cats. Other Title 6 requirements that do apply to cat owners, such as the nuisance-noise and inhumane-treatment provisions, still carry the chapter's standard escalating fines under RMC 6.04.300: fifty dollars for a first offense, seventy-five for a second, one hundred plus impoundment for a third.

Rialto is more permissive than most cities when it comes to cat rules. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Rialto's animal ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Rialto is broadly strict or permissive.

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