Animal Ordinances in Antioch, CA (2026)
14 verified animal ordinances for Antioch, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Antioch households may keep up to ten total ducks, geese, chickens or other fowl without a permit; going over that number, or keeping any rooster at all, requires a permit from the Animal Control Supervisor under AMC § 6-1.601. Fowl enclosures must sit at least 20 feet from any dwelling, church or school.
Antioch Backyard Chicken and Fowl Limits
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 6-1.602(C)
(C) Number of fowl. (1) It is unlawful for a person to keep or maintain more than ten total ducks, geese, chickens or other fowl, without a permit issued under § 6-1.601. No person may keep a rooster without a permit under § 6-1.601. (2) Fowl shall be kept in enclosures located a minimum of 20 feet from any dwelling, church, or school (except with permission on school premises...
Dog Leash Laws
Antioch bans letting a dog run at large: AMC § 6-1.102 defines "at large" as unsecured on the owner's property or off a leash longer than six feet, and § 6-1.501(C) makes it unlawful to allow any animal, including a dog, to roam loose or enter a park, playground or school unleashed.
Antioch Dog At-Large and Leash Law
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code §§ 6-1.102, 6-1.501(C)
AT LARGE. An animal that is: (i) not secured or enclosed on the owner's property; or (ii) not under restraint by a substantial leash no longer than six feet and within the care, custody and physical control of a competent person authorized to be at that location. An at-large animal does not include a cat. ... It is unlawful for a person owning an animal to do any of the following. ... (C) Allow...
Breed Restrictions
California law bars Antioch from writing breed-specific dangerous-dog rules: Cal. Food & Agric. Code § 31683 lets cities adopt their own "potentially dangerous or vicious" dog program but forbids making it specific as to breed. Antioch's own ordinance, AMC §§ 6-1.801 through 6-1.805, applies a purely behavior-based test instead.
Antioch Dangerous Dogs: No Breed-Specific Rules
Few RestrictionsCal. Food & Agric. Code § 31683
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a city or county from adopting or enforcing its own program for the control of potentially dangerous or vicious dogs that may incorporate all, part, or none of this chapter, or that may punish a violation of this chapter as a misdemeanor or may impose a more restrictive program to control potentially dangerous or vicious dogs. Except as prov...
Beekeeping
Antioch confines beekeeping to agricultural or open space zoning districts: AMC § 6-1.602(E) requires a permit from the Animal Control Supervisor before anyone keeps bees, and the Supervisor must first find the hives won't create a nuisance, health hazard, or neighborhood disturbance from odor or noise.
Antioch Beekeeping Zoning and Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 6-1.602(E)
(E) Bees. Bees may only be kept in an agricultural or open space zoning district and with a permit from the Animal Control Supervisor. (See § 6-1.601.) ... Whenever a permit is required under this Article 6, the permit procedures in § 6-1.303 apply. In addition to other requirements, the Animal Control Supervisor must first determine that the keeping of an animal, bird or bees is not likely to ...
Exotic Pets
California has one of the most restrictive exotic pet laws in the U.S. Ferrets, monkeys, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, most venomous reptiles, and large constrictors are all prohibited statewide (CCR Title 14 §671). Antioch defers to state law without additional local exemptions.
Animals: Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsCDFW Restricted Species Permits (14 CCR § 671 — Detrimental Animals)
Restricted Species Permits are required for every person who imports, exports, transports, or possesses any restricted animal listed in Section 671(c), Title 14, of the California Code of Regulations (CCR). [...] Animal Care (Detrimental Species): Issued to any resident who has demonstrated the experience and ability to house animals designated as a detrimental species, and who legally possesse...
Wildlife Feeding
Feeding wildlife (deer, raccoons, coyotes, turkeys) is discouraged and may be prohibited when it creates a public nuisance. Antioch residents should contact California Department of Fish and Wildlife for wildlife conflicts. Trapping requires state permits.
Animals: Wildlife
Heavy RestrictionsCDFW Keep Me Wild — Human-Wildlife Conflicts Toolkit
Human-Wildlife Conflicts Toolkit. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) can occur when humans encounter or interact with wild animals in an unwanted or unsafe way. In California, habitat loss and a changing climate have increased the frequency and type of HWC reported to CDFW. It has become more common for people to be "living with wildlife" as communities grow along the urban-wildlands interface and w...
Pet Limits
Antioch caps households at three licensed dogs and five cats without a permit, and at ten domesticated adult rabbits per parcel, under AMC § 6-1.602(A), (B) and (D). Exceeding any limit requires a multiple pet permit reviewed by the Animal Control Supervisor after a neighbor-notice period.
Antioch Pet Limits: Dogs, Cats, Rabbits
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 6-1.602(A), (B), (D)
(A) Number of dogs. It is unlawful for a person to keep more than three dogs that are required to be licensed at any residence in the city, without first obtaining a multiple pet or kennel permit under § 6-1.303. (B) Number of cats. It is unlawful for a person to keep more than five cats without a permit issued under § 6-1.601. (D) Rabbits. It is unlawful for a person to keep or ma...
Cat Rules
Antioch's animal code exempts roaming cats from the dog-style at-large rule but still bans feeding a feral cat anywhere but your own property under AMC § 6-1.501(K), and caps household cats at five before a permit under § 6-1.602(B) is required.
Antioch Cat Ownership and Feral Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code §§ 6-1.102, 6-1.501(K), 6-1.602(B)
CAT. A member of the feline species customarily confined or cultivated as a pet. FERAL CAT. A cat that is born in or has reverted to the wild, and is not domesticated or tamed. ... It is unlawful for a person owning an animal to do any of the following... (K) Harbor or feed a feral cat except on one's own property; ... (B) Number of cats. It is unlawful for a person to keep more than five cats ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Antioch does not mandate spay/neuter for pets kept at home, but no unclaimed dog or cat may leave the Animal Shelter for adoption unless it is already sterilized or the adopter signs a sterilization agreement and posts a deposit, under AMC § 6-1.705.
Antioch Mandatory Sterilization for Shelter Pets
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 6-1.705
§ 6-1.705 STERILIZATION. No unclaimed dog or cat shall be released for adoption without: (A) Being sterilized; or (B) A written agreement from the adopter guaranteeing that the animal will be sterilized and a sterilization deposit made. The sterilization fee deposit is established by resolution of the Council. If the animal is not sterilized within 14 business days after the date o...
Microchipping
Antioch does not require owners to microchip pets in general, but no dog or cat may be redeemed from the Animal Shelter until it has been implanted with a microchip, under AMC § 6-1.704(B); shelter staff must also scan every impounded animal for an existing chip.
Antioch Microchip Rule for Impounded Pets
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 6-1.704(B)
(B) No dog shall be released from impoundment until the dog has been licensed or registered. No dog or cat shall be released from impoundment until the animal has been implanted with a microchip identification and, after the second impoundment, until the animal has been spayed or neutered.
Pet Store Rules
Antioch does not ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats. AMC § 6-1.505 bans selling, bartering or giving away any dog, cat or other animal as a "pet or novelty" and bans using live animals as contest prizes, but pet stores and shelters with humane display facilities are expressly exempted.
Antioch Pet Sale and Prize Giveaway Rules
Light RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 6-1.505
(A) No sale as pet or novelty; no prize. No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter, give away, or publicly display a dog, cat or other animal (including but not limited to baby chicks, ducklings, or other fowl) as pets or novelties. (See Cal. Penal Code § 597.3.) No person shall give away a live animal as a prize for or as an inducement to enter: a contest, game, or competition; a place of...
Pet Groomer Rules
A pet grooming business in Antioch must provide one off-street parking space for every 400 square feet of gross floor area under the city's zoning parking table. AMC § 9-5.1703.1 sets that ratio under 'Animal grooming' alongside animal boarding, while veterinary hospitals need a higher one-per-250-square-foot ratio.
Antioch Pet Grooming Parking Requirement
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 9-5.1703.1
(A) (1) Off-street motor vehicle parking spaces shall be provided according to the following table. Each land use shall be provided with at least the number of off-street parking spaces stated in the table. ... Animal boarding 1 per 400 sq. ft. of gross floor area / Animal grooming 1 per 400 sq. ft. of gross floor area / Animal hospitals 1 per 250 sq. ft. of gross floor area ...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Antioch's zoning code lets many home-based businesses operate in a residence, but AMC § 9-5.901(C)(6) flatly excludes veterinary clinics from the home occupation use permit, alongside stables, kennels and animal boarding, so a vet practice needs a standard commercial zoning location instead.
Antioch Bans Veterinary Clinics as Home Occupations
Significant RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 9-5.901(C)
(C) Prohibited uses. Inappropriate home occupations shall include, but not be limited to, the following and similar types of uses: ... (5) Stables, kennels, animal boarding, and animal breeding, except dog fanciers, those holding multiple pet permits, and those holding kennel permits, as authorized by this Municipal Code. (6) Veterinary clinics.
Bird Protection
Antioch lets a member of a recognized racing pigeon club keep an unlimited number of banded racing pigeons or fancy birds, but only with a permit from the Animal Control Supervisor and only if the aviary meets five welfare and sanitation conditions in AMC § 6-1.602(G).
Antioch Racing Pigeon and Fancy Bird Permit
Some RestrictionsAntioch Municipal Code § 6-1.602(G)
(G) Racing pigeons. A member of a recognized racing pigeon club may keep an unlimited number of banded racing pigeons or fancy birds upon obtaining a permit from the Animal Control Supervisor. (See § 6-1.601.) The keeping of such birds is subject to the following minimum conditions: (1) Aviaries shall be of sound construction and properly maintained to conform with the surrounding are...
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