Animal Ordinances in Santa Clarita, CA

If you live in Santa Clarita or are thinking about moving there, animal ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Santa Clarita has 14 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of animal ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Pet Limits

Santa Clarita caps how many dogs and cats a household may keep without an animal facility license under Section 8.20.038: up to four dogs or up to ten cats, each individually licensed, with dogs enrolled in the mandatory spay and neuter program and cats spayed, neutered and kept mainly indoors.

Key details: Dog limit: 4 dogs without facility license. Cat limit: 10 cats without facility license. Cat condition: Spayed/neutered, kept mainly indoors. Service dog exception: Not counted, per Sec. 8.20.090. Adopted: Ordinance 11-13, June 28, 2011.

Keeping more than four dogs or ten cats at a residence without first licensing the property as an animal facility under Chapter 8.28 violates Section 8.20.038. Because Section 8.20.038 is not among the misdemeanor sections listed in Section 8.04.060(B), a violation defaults to an infraction under Section 8.04.060(A), and the Department can also require the excess animals be covered by a facility permit or removed.

Cat Rules

Santa Clarita's only cat-specific confinement rule targets cat kennels: Section 8.32.070 requires anyone who owns or operates a cat kennel to keep every cat under proper confinement on the premises and bars letting kennel cats run at large. Violating it is a misdemeanor under Section 8.04.060(B), punishable under Penal Code Section 19.

Key details: Who it covers: Cat kennel owners/operators. Duty: Keep cats confined on premises. Penalty: Misdemeanor, Penal Code Sec. 19. Related residential cap: 10 cats, Sec. 8.20.038(B). Adopted: Ordinance 91-29, Aug. 13, 1991.

A person who owns or operates a cat kennel and lets the cats inside run at large, instead of keeping them under proper confinement on the premises, violates Section 8.32.070. Section 8.04.060(B) singles this section out as a misdemeanor punishable under Penal Code Section 19, a harsher default than the infraction that applies to most other Title 8 violations.

Dog Leash Laws

Santa Clarita prohibits letting a dog run loose on any street, public place or private property that isn't the owner's, under Section 8.32.010. A dog off its own property must be restrained by a substantial chain or leash not exceeding six feet in length and under the control of a competent person.

Key details: Leash rule: Chain/leash, max 6 feet. Where it applies: Streets, public places, others' property. Ranch exception: Sec. 8.32.030, owner's undeveloped land. Attack dog rule: 5-ft fence required, Sec. 8.32.020. Penalty: Infraction under Sec. 8.04.060(A).

Letting a dog run loose off a leash or chain, whether on a public street or on someone else's property, violates Section 8.32.010 and is enforced as an infraction under Section 8.04.060(A). Repeated at-large incidents can also support denial or revocation of an unaltered dog license under Section 8.20.360(A)(2), and a dog that repeatedly gets loose can be declared a public nuisance under Section 8.40.065.

Pet Groomer Rules

Any pet grooming business in Santa Clarita, whether a storefront grooming parlor or mobile van, is an "animal facility" under the municipal code and must hold a Department of Animal Care and Control license before opening. Operating without one is a misdemeanor. The license requires a Regional Planning zoning sign-off and an inspection before the city will issue it.

Key details: Governing chapter: Municipal Code Ch. 8.28. Licensing agency: L.A. County Dept. of Animal Care and Control. Pre-issuance step: Inspection plus zoning sign-off. License term: 12 months from issuance. Penalty: Misdemeanor under Penal Code Sec. 19.

Running a grooming parlor or mobile grooming van in Santa Clarita without a Department of Animal Care and Control license violates Section 8.28.060 and is charged as a misdemeanor under Section 8.04.060(B), punishable per Penal Code Section 19 rather than as a simple infraction. The Department can also deny the license if the operator had a similar license denied or revoked anywhere in Los Angeles County within the prior twelve months, per Section 8.28.050(C).

Microchipping

Every dog over four months old in Santa Clarita must carry an implanted microchip under Section 8.20.185, and owners must give the Department of Animal Care and Control the chip number and update it with the department and the chip's national registry whenever the dog changes owners, address or phone number.

Key details: Who must comply: Owners of dogs over 4 months. Reporting duty: Give chip number to department. Update duty: Notify on ownership/address/phone change. Fine: None; Sec. 8.20.375(C) waives fine. Adopted: Ordinance 06-11, Dec. 12, 2006.

Failing to microchip a dog over four months old does not carry a standalone fine: Section 8.20.375(C) expressly states there is no fine for a microchipping violation under Section 8.20.185. The practical consequence instead shows up at license renewal, an ownership transfer, or an unaltered-dog license application, all of which require the department to have a valid microchip number on file.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Santa Clarita requires every dog over four months old to be spayed or neutered unless the owner instead obtains an annual unaltered dog license under Section 8.20.355. Section 8.20.350 makes it unlawful to own an unaltered dog without that license, and penalties escalate from a $250 infraction to a misdemeanor.

Key details: Base rule: Dogs over 4 months must be altered. Alternative: Annual unaltered dog license, Sec. 8.20.355. 1st offense fine: Up to $250 infraction. 2nd offense penalty: Up to $1,000 and/or 6 months jail. Adopted: Ordinance 06-11, Dec. 12, 2006.

Section 8.20.375 sets tiered penalties for violating the spay/neuter law. A first offense is an infraction with a fine up to $250, and it becomes a second violation if the underlying problem isn't fixed within thirty days of notice. A second violation within a year is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both, with each further violation in that year charged as an additional misdemeanor.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Santa Clarita actively enforces its mandatory spay/neuter requirements.

Pet Store Rules

Santa Clarita doesn't ban pet shops from selling dogs or cats, but Section 8.40.100 requires every kennel or pet shop license holder to report to Animal Care and Control a regular list of animals sold and to have every dog in its custody vaccinated for rabies before sale.

Key details: Definition: Pet shop, Sec. 8.08.200. Reporting duty: Sales list to Animal Care & Control. Vaccination duty: Rabies shot per dog before sale. Swap meets: Live animal sales banned, Sec. 8.40.015. Penalty: Infraction under Sec. 8.04.060(A).

A kennel or pet shop that sells dogs or cats without providing the required sales listing to Animal Care and Control, or without a rabies vaccination certificate for each dog sold, violates Section 8.40.100. That section is not on the misdemeanor list in Section 8.04.060(B), so a violation is charged as an infraction under Section 8.04.060(A), on top of any consequence to the facility's underlying Section 8.28.060 license.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Santa Clarita treats veterinary clinics and hospitals as commercial use types with a zone-by-zone permit ladder: outright prohibited in every urban residential zone, conditional-use-permitted in rural non-urban zones, and by-right only in commercial and industrial zones. Overnight boarding pushes a business from clinic to hospital status with its own permit tier.

Key details: Vet clinic in NU1-NU5: Conditional use permit required. Vet clinic in any UR zone: Prohibited outright. Vet clinic in CR/CC/CN/I: Permitted by right. Small-animal hospital in NU zones: Minor use permit required. Parking ratio: 1 space per 250 sq ft.

Operating a veterinary clinic or hospital in a residential zone, or without the required conditional/minor use permit in a zone where one is mandated, is a zoning code violation enforceable by the City's Code Enforcement Division. The Planning Division can deny or revoke a business license tied to an unpermitted use, and the property owner or operator faces an administrative citation and required cessation of the veterinary operation until the correct discretionary permit is obtained.

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

Beekeeping

Beekeeping in Santa Clarita is governed by two code sections working together: Chapter 8.76 requires identification signs on off-residence apiaries, while the Unified Development Code's Table of Allowable Land Uses at Section 17.46.010 confines hives to Non-Urban zones and bars them outright from every Urban Residential zone.

Key details: Zone allowing hives by right: NU1, NU2, NU3 (1+ hives). Permit needed: Minor/conditional use permit in NU4-NU5. Urban Residential zones (UR1-UR5): Beehives not permitted. Sign required: Owner name, address, phone number. Sign spec: Black letters, 1-inch minimum height.

Chapter 8.76 violations, such as a missing or noncompliant identification sign, are a misdemeanor under Section 8.76.050. Keeping hives in a zone where the Table of Allowable Land Uses marks the use "X" or operating without the required minor or conditional use permit in NU4/NU5 is a zoning violation enforceable through the city's development code compliance process.

Coyote Management

Feeding coyotes and other wild predators is illegal in Santa Clarita. Municipal Code Section 8.84.010 bans providing food to any nondomesticated mammalian predator, a term the chapter defines to include coyote, raccoon, fox and opossum, along with nondomesticated rodents such as ground squirrels.

Key details: Banned species: Coyote, raccoon, fox, opossum, ground squirrel. Governing section: Municipal Code § 8.84.010. Violation class: Infraction (§ 8.84.030). Exception 1: CDFG-permitted owner of the animal. Exception 2: Feeding injured animal pending pickup.

A violation of Chapter 8.84 is an infraction under Section 8.84.030, a lesser classification than the misdemeanor penalty used elsewhere in Title 8's animal chapters. Code enforcement or animal control can cite a property owner or resident who leaves food accessible to coyotes, raccoons, foxes, opossums or ground squirrels without qualifying for the ownership-permit or injured-animal exception.

Compared to other cities, Santa Clarita takes a harder line on coyote management. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Chickens & Livestock

Santa Clarita lets small lots keep hens outright, but roosters are barred unless the parcel is larger than one acre, and then only at one rooster per acre. Sheep, goats, potbellied pigs and other larger animals follow a sliding scale tied to lot size, with a minor use permit required once a household wants more animals than the table in Section 17.62.030 allows.

Key details: Small lot bird limit: 3 birds/rodents on lots under 15,000 sq ft. Rooster rule: Only on lots over 1 acre, 1 per acre. Excess animals: Minor use permit required. Structure setback: 50 feet from street or dwelling. Governing section: UDC § 17.62.030.

Keeping more birds, poultry or livestock than the lot-size table in Section 17.62.030 allows, without first obtaining a minor use permit, is a zoning violation the City can pursue as code enforcement action; failing to meet any animal-keeping standard, including the fifty-foot structure setback or the sanitation and odor-control requirements, is grounds for enforcement proceedings under Title 23. A rooster kept on a lot of one acre or less does not qualify under any exception and can be ordered removed.

Wildlife Feeding

Santa Clarita Municipal Code Section 8.84.010 makes it unlawful to feed or provide food to any nondomesticated rodent or nondomesticated mammalian predator, a category the code defines to include ground squirrels, coyotes, raccoons, foxes and opossums. Enforced citywide by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, a violation is charged as an infraction under Section 8.84.030.

Key details: Prohibited act: Feeding nondomesticated rodents or mammalian predators. Covered animals: Ground squirrels, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, opossums. Lawful exception 1: Owner with valid CDFG animal permit. Lawful exception 2: Feeding injured animal pending agency pickup. Violation classification: Infraction under SCMC Section 8.84.030.

A first offense under Section 8.84.030 is charged as an infraction, the classification that applies under the chapter unless another penalty is stated. Animal Care and Control officers can issue a citation when they observe or document feeding of coyotes, raccoons, foxes, opossums or ground squirrels without a qualifying State Department of Fish and Game permit or an active rescue-and-pickup arrangement with animal control. Chapter 8.84 does not set its own dollar fine schedule, so the infraction is processed the way other unscheduled Title 8 infractions are handled by the City and the County agency it contracts with for animal services.

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

Breed Restrictions

Santa Clarita does not ban any dog breeds. California state law (Food & Agriculture Code 31683) prohibits breed-specific legislation by local governments. Dogs are regulated based on individual behavior, not breed.

Key details: Breed Bans: None. CA state preemption. State Law: Food & Ag Code 31683. Dangerous Dogs: Behavior-based classification. Requirements: Enclosure, muzzle, insurance, registration.

Owners of dangerous dogs failing to comply with restrictions face fines, impoundment, and potential criminal charges.

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

Exotic Pets

Santa Clarita regulates exotic pets through SCMC 17.62 and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) regulations. Many exotic species are prohibited as pets in California without special permits. Venomous reptiles, primates, and large predators are restricted.

Key details: State Regulation: CA Fish & Game Code + 14 CCR. Prohibited: Large cats, primates, bears, wolves. Permits: CDFW permits for some species. Local Code: SCMC 17.62 Animal Keeping.

Keeping prohibited exotic animals may result in confiscation, fines, and criminal charges under state law.

Compared to other cities, Santa Clarita takes a harder line on exotic pets. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Santa Clarita is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 14 rules covered here, 6 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Santa Clarita, 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 Santa Clarita's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.