Animal Ordinances in Clovis, CA (2026)
13 verified animal ordinances for Clovis, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Clovis zoning limits backyard poultry, rabbits and small furbearing animals to the R-R, R-A and R-1-A districts, with coops kept 25 feet from any property line, 100 feet from the front line, and 40 feet from doors or windows. Larger livestock, goats, horses, sheep and cattle, need at least 24,000 square feet of parcel area under Municipal Code § 9.40.040.
Clovis Backyard Chicken and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 9.40.040(A), (C), (E) (Animal Keeping)
Regulations. The keeping or maintaining of fowl, livestock, or other animals of any kind shall not be allowed in any subdivision, except in compliance with this section. ... Poultry, rabbits, and other similar small furbearing animals. 1. The keeping of this category of animals for either domestic or commercial use is allowed only in the R-R, R-A, and R-1-A Districts. 2. No commercial poultry c...
Dog Leash Laws
Clovis Municipal Code § 6.1.307 bars owners from letting any animal, except a spayed or neutered cat, run at large in the city; a first offense is an infraction, but an animal caught at large three times in 12 months is deemed a public nuisance that the owner must remove from City limits entirely.
Clovis Dogs and Animals At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 6.1.307 (Animals at large)
No owner of any animal, except a cat which has been spayed or neutered, shall cause, permit, or allow any such animal to be at large in the City. A violation of this provision is an infraction. An animal that is at large three (3) or more times within a twelve (12) month period shall be deemed a public nuisance and the owner shall remove the animal from the City's incorporated limits. A failure...
Breed Restrictions
Clovis has no ordinance singling out any dog breed. Instead, Municipal Code Article 6 (§§ 6.1.601-6.1.608) lets the Supervisor of Animal Services or Chief of Police petition to have any animal, of any breed, declared 'potentially dangerous' or 'vicious' based on its actual bite or attack history, triggering mandatory confinement, licensing, and spay/neuter rules.
Clovis Dangerous and Vicious Animal Rules
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 6.1.602 (Petition to declare animal as potentially dangerous or vicious)
If an Animal Services Officer has investigated and determined that there is probable cause to believe that an animal is potentially dangerous or vicious, the Supervisor of Animal Services, the Chief of Police or their designee may prepare a petition to have the animal declared potentially dangerous or vicious. The petition may be filed with the Court or the City Manager. If filed with the Court...
Beekeeping
Clovis bars beekeeping on ordinary residential property: Municipal Code Section 9.40.040(B) allows a stand of bees only in conjunction with a permitted agricultural operation, limited to seasonal pollination, and requires large buffers, 200 feet for up to three hives, 400 feet for four to twenty, and 600 feet for twenty-one or more, from any road, residence or occupied structure other than the keeper's own.
Clovis Beekeeping & Apiary Rules
Heavy RestrictionsClovis, CA Municipal Code § 9.40.040(B)
No person shall keep or maintain within the City any stand of bees except in conjunction with a permitted agricultural operation. When allowed, beekeeping shall be subject to the following requirements: 1. Apiaries shall be limited to the seasonal pollination of permitted agricultural uses. Bees shall not be raised on property within the City and shall conform to the provisions of Section 6.1.1...
Exotic Pets
Exotic animals prohibited under CA Fish & Game Code §2118 and CCR Title 14 §671. Ferrets, hedgehogs, monkeys, most wild animals illegal statewide. Clovis enforces state restricted species list.
animals/exotic-pets
Significant RestrictionsCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife - Restricted Species Permits (14 CCR Section 671)
Section 671(c), Title 14, of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) (PDF) . Entitlements Fee Description Restricted Species Permit Application/Amendment New: $155.53 Renewal and Amendment: $80.60 Required for every new permit, permit renewal or amendment of an existing permit, nonrefundable. Restricted Species Permit Inspection 1-5 Enclosures: $319.50 6-25 Enclosures: $...
Wildlife Feeding
Clovis bars feeding any household or wild bird outdoors if it creates health or sanitation problems, property damage, slippery sidewalks, dependency, or draws coyotes, squirrels, rats, or other vermin. Municipal Code § 6.1.520 also treats a feeding-related disturbance, like the noise a flock attracts, as a violation if it disturbs two or more neighboring households.
Clovis Wildlife and Bird Feeding Restrictions
Some RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 6.1.520 (Feeding of Birds)
It shall be unlawful for any person to feed any household or wild birds outdoors in a manner that creates: harmful health and/or sanitation conditions; destruction of property; unsightly or increased slipperiness of sidewalks; animal dependency; attraction of coyotes, squirrels, rats and/or other vermin; or otherwise creates an unreasonable disturbance, such as noise, so as to disturb the peace...
Pet Limits
Clovis Municipal Code § 6.1.301 caps household pets at three dogs, three cats, three reptiles, and two Vietnamese potbellied pigs per premises, but the combined dog/cat/pig total cannot exceed three animals and every household is capped at six pets total across all species.
Clovis Household Pet Number Limits
Some RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 6.1.301 (Restriction on number of household pets)
The maximum number of household pets allowed in a household or on any premises shall be as follows: (a) Three (3) dogs; (b) Three (3) cats; (c) Two (2) Vietnamese potbellied pigs; (d) Three (3) reptiles; (e) The combined maximum number of dogs, cats, and potbellied pigs shall be three (3) animals; (f) The combined maximum number of all household pets other than dogs, cats, potbellied pigs and r...
Cat Rules
Clovis does not license cats: Municipal Code § 6.1.201 requires tags only for dogs and Vietnamese potbellied pigs. Spayed or neutered cats are also the only animal exempt from the citywide at-large ban under § 6.1.307, though feeding a feral cat or colony remains a separate violation under § 6.1.519.
Clovis Cat Licensing and At-Large Rules
Light RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code §§ 6.1.201(a), 6.1.307, 6.1.519
§ 6.1.201(a): Every person owning, possessing, keeping, harboring or having custody of any dog over four (4) months old, and all Vietnamese potbellied pigs, shall obtain a license for each dog and potbellied pig. § 6.1.307: No owner of any animal, except a cat which has been spayed or neutered, shall cause, permit, or allow any such animal to be at large in the City. A violation of this provisi...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Clovis requires every dog or cat over four months old to be spayed or neutered unless the owner documents a specific exemption, and no shelter animal may be adopted out unaltered. Municipal Code § 6.1.515 backs the mandate with a 60-day notice-to-comply before any citation, plus a mandatory microchip for exempt unaltered pets.
Clovis Mandatory Spay and Neuter Rules
Heavy RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 6.1.515(a), (b), (d) (Spay and Neuter of Cats and Dogs)
(a) Spaying or neutering prior to adoption. No dog or cat shall be made available for adoption unless the dog or cat is spayed or neutered in accordance with California Food and Agricultural Code Sections 30503 and 31751.3 or is otherwise exempt pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. (b) Spaying or neutering a dog or cat over the age of four (4) months. No person within the City shall own ...
Microchipping
Clovis doesn't require every pet owner to microchip their animal, but Municipal Code § 6.1.406 requires Animal Services to implant a microchip in every dog or cat impounded at the Clovis Animal Shelter that isn't already chipped, and bills the implantation cost to the owner as part of the impound fee.
Clovis Shelter Animal Microchip Rule
Light RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 6.1.406 (Microchip identification device)
Animal Services shall implant each dog or cat impounded at the Animal Shelter, not previously microchipped, with a microchip identification device. The owner of such dog or cat shall be obligated to pay for the cost associated with the implantation of the microchip identification device as part of the impound fee. It shall be the owner's responsibility to have correct and current information re...
Pet Store Rules
Clovis pet stores may sell dogs and cats, but only inside a permitted store; Municipal Code § 6.1.517 bars anyone from selling, bartering, or giving away a puppy or kitten under eight weeks old, from doing so on a public street, sidewalk, or at a swap meet, or from using a dog or cat as a contest prize.
Clovis Pet Store and Dog/Cat Sale Rules
Some RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 6.1.517(a)-(d), (f) (Sale and Other Transfer of Dogs and Cats)
(a) No person shall display, sell, offer for sale, barter, or give away any kitten or puppy under eight (8) weeks of age. (b) No person shall display, sell, offer for sale, barter, or give away any dog or cat in any public street, alley, lane, sidewalk, or other public property or in front of any business not owned by him or her or at any swap meet. (c) No person shall give away any dog or cat ...
Pet Groomer Rules
Clovis defines pet grooming as a standalone use distinct from animal hospitals, veterinary clinics, or kennels, and allows it with an administrative use permit in the C-1, C-2, and C-3 commercial districts. Groomers must also provide one parking space for every 400 square feet of gross floor area under the city's parking standards.
Clovis Pet Grooming Business Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 9.120.020 (Definitions - "Pet Grooming")
Pet grooming. An establishment specializing in the cleaning and conditioning of pets, and not part of an animal hospital, veterinary clinic, or kennel.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Clovis requires a conditional use permit for every veterinary clinic and animal hospital, whether proposed in the C-2 Community Commercial District or in the C-M, M-1, or M-2 industrial districts. No zoning district in the city permits the use by right, and most commercial and all residential districts exclude it entirely.
Clovis Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 9.120.020 (Definitions - "Veterinary Clinics and Animal Hospitals")
Veterinary clinics and animal hospitals. Offices and medical treatment facilities used by veterinarians, with indoor and/or outdoor kennel facilities. This use includes large and small animal veterinary clinics and animal hospitals.
Looking for Fresno County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Clovis city rules.
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