Animal Ordinances in Cupertino, CA (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for Cupertino, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Cupertino allows unlimited geese, ducks, chickens and rabbits on Residential Hillside (RHS) lots of one acre or more under Table 19.20.020, while smaller RHS lots follow a one-pet-per-3,000-square-foot formula. Large animals such as horses, cattle, sheep and goats are capped by land area, and poultry raising is a by-right agricultural use in the Agricultural (A) zone.
Cupertino Backyard Chickens and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code Table 19.20.020, Item 33(c) (RHS zone)
c. Limited to one per three thousand square feet of lot area, except: i. Dogs are limited to a maximum of two on lots less than one acre and four for lots greater than one acre; and ii. The number of geese, ducks, chickens, rabbits and other farm animals are not limited on a site greater than one acre
Dog Leash Laws
Cupertino requires every dog off its owner's property to be on a leash or behind a fence at least six feet high, and bars any animal from straying onto public streets, common areas, or someone else's land without consent. Both rules sit in Title 8, and a violation is an infraction under Chapter 1.12.
Cupertino Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code §§ 8.01.030, 8.03.010
No person owning or having control of any animal shall permit such animal to stray or run at large upon any public street or other public place, or common area of any planned development, cluster, townhouse or condominium project, or upon any private property without the consent of the owner or person in control thereof. ... The owner or person with the right to control any ... dog shall keep s...
Breed Restrictions
Cupertino doesn't ban dogs by breed; instead it regulates any dog, of any breed, that the City designates "potentially dangerous" or "dangerous" based on documented biting or attacking behavior. Owners of a designated dog must muzzle and leash it, post a warning sign, register it annually, and carry at least fifty thousand dollars in liability insurance.
Cupertino Dangerous and Potentially Dangerous Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code §§ 8.01.010, 8.03.035, 8.03.040
“Potentially dangerous dog” means any dog, except a dog assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties, that: Without provocation, inflicts bites on a human, or a domestic animal while on public or private property; ... “Dangerous dog” means any dog, except a dog assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties, that: Has inflicted severe injury on a human or domestic an...
Beekeeping
Cupertino allows beekeeping citywide as an accessory use, but Chapter 8.07 sets minimum setbacks of twenty feet from the front property line and eight feet from side or rear lines, caps hives at two on lots under 5,000 square feet, and requires every apiary to register with the County Agricultural Commissioner.
Cupertino Backyard Beekeeping Setback and Hive Rules
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 8.07.030
Location: Agricultural apiaries as permitted in Chapter 19.20; Urban apiaries in all zoning districts; Minimum setbacks: Front property line and/or any public or private street: 20 feet; and Side or rear property lines and/or driveway easements: Eight (8) feet, unless property owners of adjacent properties or beneficiaries of driveway easements have given written permission to locate hives at a...
Exotic Pets
Cupertino does not ban owning a wild or exotic animal outright, but its code labels any wild, exotic, or venomous animal a "dangerous animal" and requires a City Manager permit before anyone keeps, sells, trades, or hires one out. Zoos, universities, and bona fide research institutions are exempt, and permits can be denied to protect public safety or the animal itself.
Cupertino Permit Rule for Dangerous Wild Animals
Significant RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code §§ 8.01.010, 8.06.010
“Dangerous animal” means any wild, exotic, or venomous animal, or other animal which because of its size, disposition, or other characteristic would constitute a danger to persons or property. ... No person shall keep, have, maintain, sell, trade, or let for hire a dangerous and/or vicious animal without first obtaining a permit from the City Manager.
Wildlife Feeding
Cupertino's park-conduct code flatly bans feeding any wildlife, not just waterfowl, inside a city park. The rule, part of Municipal Code § 13.04.130, is enforced by parks staff and peace officers and carries the same infraction penalties as the chapter's other park prohibitions under Chapter 1.12.
Cupertino Bans Feeding Wildlife in Parks
Heavy RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 13.04.130
Feeding Waterfowl Prohibited. No person shall feed or in any manner intentionally provide food to any wildlife in any City park.
Pet Limits
Cupertino's R-1, RC1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 residential zones cap adult household pets at four per dwelling under Table 19.20.020, with no more than two adult dogs or cats among them. The Residential Hillside (RHS) zone instead scales the limit to lot size, and litters under four months old get a separate, more generous allowance.
Cupertino Household Pet Limits by Zone
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code Table 19.20.020, Item 33(b) (R-1, RC1, R-2, R-3, R-4 zones)
33. Adult (over 4 months of age) household pets per dwelling unit, limited as follows: a. No specified number ... b. Maximum of four, provided no more than two adult dogs or cats may be kept on the site
Cat Rules
Cupertino caps ownership at three cats over four months old per property, and no more than one of them can be unspayed. Every cat past that age also needs a rabies vaccination and a City license with a metal tag, renewed annually, before it can legally be kept or boarded in the City.
Cupertino Cat Ownership, License and Vaccination Rules
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code §§ 8.03.020, 8.03.030, 8.03.050
No person shall keep or maintain more than two dogs over four months of age. No person shall keep or maintain more than three cats over four months of age. In no event shall there be more than one unspayed cat over four months old and one unspayed dog over four months of age on any premises. ... Every owner of a dog or a cat over four months of age shall cause such dog or cat to be vaccinated w...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Cupertino doesn't force every owner to sterilize a pet, but anyone adopting a dog or cat from a Santa Clara County humane society, pound, or SPCA shelter must have it spayed or neutered by the date fixed in the adoption agreement, unless a licensed veterinarian certifies that timeline is medically wrong for that animal.
Cupertino Spay-Neuter Rule for Shelter Adoptions
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 8.02.100
Any person adopting an unspayed or unneutered dog or cat from any humane society animal shelter, public pound or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter in the County of Santa Clara shall have the animal spayed or neutered on or before a date specified in the adoption agreement unless a licensed veterinarian states in writing that the date specified in the adoption agreement is...
Pet Groomer Rules
Cupertino defines a "grooming parlor" as any commercial place where animals are trimmed, bathed, or groomed, and Chapter 8.05 requires the operator to get an annual City Manager permit before opening. The same chapter sets housing, sanitation, and animal-care standards the groomer must meet to keep that permit valid.
Cupertino Pet Grooming Parlor Permit Requirement
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code §§ 8.01.010, 8.05.010
“Grooming parlor” means any commercial place where animals are trimmed, bathed, or groomed. ... No person shall conduct, operate or keep any pet shop, commercial kennel, private kennel, pet grooming parlor, animal menagerie, animal shelter, or horse establishment without first obtaining an appropriate permit from the City Manager. The annual permit fee for the above animal facilities shall be f...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Cupertino's zoning code confines veterinary clinics, animal hospitals and boarding kennels to the Light Industrial (ML) district under Table 19.64.020, and Chapter 19.120 expressly bars running a veterinary or animal clinic as a home occupation in any residential zone. A practice must locate in ML or in a qualifying commercial zone rather than a house or general office building.
Cupertino Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 19.120.050
The occupations listed below, shall not be considered incidental and secondary to the use of a residence for dwelling purposes and are therefore prohibited in residential zones: ... Clinics and hospitals, also veterinary (animal) clinics and hospitals; Kennels and other boarding for pets, in excess of the number of animals allowed in the base zoning district where specified;
Bird Protection
Cupertino's park code bars anyone from hunting, harming, trapping or killing any bird within a city park, and bans taking eggs, nests or young. Only deadly poisonous snakes may be killed on sight. Park attendants and peace officers enforce the rule under Municipal Code § 13.04.120, with violations charged as infractions under Chapter 1.12.
Cupertino Bans Harming Birds in Parks
Heavy RestrictionsCupertino Municipal Code § 13.04.120
No person in a park shall do any of the following: ... Hunt, molest, harm, frighten, kill, trap, chase, tease, shoot or throw missiles at any animal, reptile, or bird; nor shall any person remove or have in his possession the young of any wild animal, or the eggs or nest or young of any reptile or bird. Exception to the foregoing is made in that snakes known to be deadly poisonous, such as ratt...
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