Animal Ordinances in Milpitas, CA (2026)
11 verified animal ordinances for Milpitas, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Backyard chickens are allowed in Milpitas: up to six may be kept outdoors per residence under Section V-210-7.02-2(a), with any coop meeting accessory-structure setbacks. Larger livestock needs a full acre under the Zoning Ordinance's Section XIII-C.10.060, and must sit at least 200 feet from residential, mixed-use or commercial lots.
Milpitas Allows 6 Backyard Chickens, Acre for Livestock
Some RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-7.02-2(a), XIII-C.10.060
(a)A maximum of six (6) chickens may be kept outdoors in the backyard of a residential property for the personal use of and care by the occupants of the residence. Any outdoor coop or other enclosure for the keeping of chickens shall comply with the setbacks and other development standards for accessory structures that are required in the applicable zoning district, per Section XIII-C.2.020. .....
Dog Leash Laws
Milpitas requires every dog off its owner's property to be on a leash. Section V-210-4.05 of the Municipal Code makes it unlawful to let a dog run unrestrained in public unless it is on private property with the owner's permission or in a City area or class specifically designated for unleashed dogs.
Milpitas Requires Dogs to Be Leashed Off-Property
Some RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code § V-210-4.05
All dogs shall be physically restrained by means of a leash when they are not on the property of their owner or the person who has control of them. This requirement shall not apply to dogs on private property if the owner of such property gives permission for the dog to be unrestrained or on public property if such property is in an area where dogs are specifically permitted to be unrestrained ...
Breed Restrictions
Milpitas does not ban dogs by breed. Chapter 210 of the Municipal Code classifies dogs as potentially dangerous on a five-level scale set entirely by documented behavior, from menacing another animal at Level 1 to causing serious injury or death at Level 5, and a Level 3, 4 or 5 dog needs a City dangerous animal permit.
Milpitas Dangerous Dog Rules Are Behavior-Based
Significant RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-2.14, V-210-5.10-1
"Potentially dangerous dog" shall mean a dog which has been classified as potentially dangerous at one of the following five (5) levels based upon specific behavior exhibited by the dog. ... Level 3 behavior is established if a dog at large aggressively bites or causes physical injury to any person or domestic animal and may be established if a dog that has been classified as a Level 1 or Level...
Exotic Pets
Milpitas does not let anyone keep, sell, or trade a dangerous animal, defined by size, disposition, or other traits that endanger humans, without first getting a dangerous animal permit from the City. Milpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-2.07 and V-210-10.01 make the permit mandatory and let the City deny or revoke it to protect public safety.
Milpitas Dangerous Wild Animal Permit
Significant RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-2.07, V-210-10.01
"Dangerous animal" shall mean any animal which, because of its size, disposition or other characteristics, would constitute a danger to humans, including any dog classified as a Level 3, 4, or 5 potentially dangerous dog as defined in this Section. ... No person shall keep, have, maintain, sell, trade, or let for hire, a ... dangerous animal, as defined in Section V-210-2, without first obtaini...
Pet Limits
Milpitas caps household pets at a combined total of four dogs and/or cats over four months old under Section V-210-7.02-1, and separately bars keeping any animal on a residential lot within 300 feet of another owner's home under Section V-210-7.01 unless an exception applies.
Milpitas Caps Household Pets at Four Dogs/Cats
Some RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-7.01, V-210-7.02-1
Except as otherwise provided herein, it shall be unlawful for any person to own, possess, have in custody or control, or to maintain any animal upon any lot in any residentially zoned district (pursuant to the provisions of Title XIII of the Milpitas Municipal Code) when that lot is located within three hundred feet (300′) of any residential building owned by someone other than the owner or cus...
Cat Rules
Milpitas regulates cats mainly through a feral-cat care standard and a licensing carve-out. Section V-210-6.05 requires anyone caring for feral cats to feed them regularly, trap and sterilize those over 8 weeks old, and test and vaccinate them, while Section V-210-8.03 exempts a spayed, vaccinated feral cat from the City's license requirement.
Milpitas Feral Cat Care and Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-6.05, V-210-8.03
Every person caring for one or more feral cats, as defined in Section V-210-2, shall provide, at a minimum, the following level of care: ... Trap all cats over the age of eight (8) weeks and have them spayed or neutered; ... Arrange to have all cats routinely vaccinated for rabies, feline leukemia, and feline rhinotracheitis-calici-panleukopenia-chlamydia psittaci. ... A license shall not be re...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Milpitas does not require every pet to be sterilized, but Section V-210-7.02-1 limits each household to one unspayed female dog and one unspayed female cat, and Section V-210-6.10 bars any unsterilized dog or cat from running at large on public property or shared private grounds.
Milpitas Limits Unspayed Pets, No Blanket Mandate
Some RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-6.10, V-210-7.02-1
No owner or person with the control or custody of any unsterilized dog or cat shall allow that animal to run at-large upon any public street or other public place, or upon any private property or common area of any planned development, cluster townhome or condominium project without the consent of the property owner or person in control of the property. ... No household may contain more than on...
Microchipping
Milpitas does not mandate microchipping, but Section V-210-8.15 lets a microchipped dog or cat skip the physical license tag other licensed animals must wear at all times, so long as the Administrator accepts the chip or other permanent ID in place of a tag.
Milpitas Lets Microchips Substitute for License Tags
Few RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code § V-210-8.15
Owner's shall ensure that each animal shall wear the license tag issued for it all times except when being shown at a dog/cat show, exhibition or event. Dogs or cats with microchip implants or other permanent identification acceptable to the Administrator shall not be required to wear a license tag. If the license tag is lost or stolen, the owner must procure a replacement tag by paying the app...
Pet Store Rules
In the City of Milpitas, dogs, cats and other animals may only be sold, bartered or given away at a permitted pet shop, commercial kennel, animal shelter, horse establishment, or a private residence. Operating a pet shop without an animal facility permit from the City is unlawful under Municipal Code Chapter 210.
Milpitas Pet Shop Sales and Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-210-9.14, V-210-11.01
It shall be unlawful for any person to display for sale, sell, exchange, barter, or give away any animal except in the following locations: a pet shop, commercial kennel, animal shelter, or horse establishment, all of which must have valid permits under Section V-210-11, or a private residence. This prohibition shall not apply to City of Milpitas permitted animal adoption organizations. ... No ...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Table B.6.020-A of the Milpitas Zoning Ordinance permits veterinary clinics outright in the C1, C2, and HS commercial zones, but requires a Conditional Use Permit in the CO (Administrative and Professional Office) zone. A full veterinary hospital needs a Conditional Use Permit in C1 as well, on top of the CO restriction.
Where Milpitas Allows Veterinary Clinics
Light RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code § XIII-B.6.020 (Table B.6.020-A)
"P" = Permitted Use / "MC" = Minor Conditional Use Permit approved by Zoning Administrator required / "MCS" = Minor Conditional Use Permit approved by Director required / "C" = Conditional Use Permit required / "-" = Not Allowed Use CO C1 C2 HS Additional Regulations ... Veterinary Clinic C P P P
Bird Protection
In the City of Milpitas, no one may trap, catch, injure, annoy, molest, or destroy any wild or domestic animal inside a city park without a written permit from the City Manager. The Animal Trapping rule sits among a short list of permit-only park activities, alongside running a business or soliciting donations, and protects the birds and other wildlife that use Milpitas's park system, including Ed Levin Park and the creek-side trails.
Milpitas Park Bird and Wildlife Trapping Ban
Some RestrictionsMilpitas Municipal Code §§ V-9-4.00, V-9-4.03
Unless a written permit is first obtained from the City Manager or his authorized agent, and subject to such conditions as may be imposed in connection therewith, it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to do any of the following acts within any park in the City of Milpitas. ... Trapping, catching, injuring, annoying, molesting, or destroying any domestic or wild animal.
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