Animal Ordinances in Rocklin, CA (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Rocklin, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Rocklin caps backyard poultry at ten ducks, chickens or pigeons combined, bans keeping any goose or turkey, and requires fowl enclosures to sit at least twenty feet from any building or property line. Rabbits face the same ten-animal cap and setback.
Rocklin Backyard Chicken and Fowl Limits
Some RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code § 6.44.010, § 6.44.020
6.44.010 - Restrictions on domestic fowl. No person shall keep any goose or turkey, or more than ten, whether singly or in combination, of the following: ducks, chickens or pigeons. ... 6.44.020 - Enclosures for domestic fowl. Domestic fowl shall be kept in a sanitary enclosure which shall not be located within twenty feet of any building or property line.
Dog Leash Laws
Rocklin Municipal Code Section 6.12.020 bans letting any animal except a domestic cat run at large, meaning dogs off their owner's property must be on a leash or tether unless they are a trained service animal, assisting police, in a designated dog park, or confined in a vehicle.
Rocklin Dog At-Large and Leash Rule
Some RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code § 6.12.020
6.12.020 - Animals at large. A.No person shall allow any animal, except the domestic cat, to run at large.B.A dog shall not be considered at large if it is:1.A trained service animal as defined in California Civil Code § 54.1(6) through 54.1(7)(b) ... 3.Within the confines of a city designated dog park.4.Securely confined in a vehicle.
Beekeeping
Rocklin caps residential beekeeping at two hives per property and requires bees to be kept at least five hundred feet from any building where people or animals live, a distance that puts most residential lots off limits entirely.
Rocklin Backyard Beekeeping Hive Limits
Significant RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code § 6.44.070, § 6.44.080
6.44.070 - Bees. No person shall keep more than two hives of bees. ... 6.44.080 - Bees—Distance from building. Bees shall be kept at least five hundred feet from any building or structure in which persons or animals normally live or are kept.
Exotic Pets
The City of Rocklin bans keeping any wild animal outright. Chapter 6.40 of the municipal code makes it unlawful for any person to keep a wild animal, with narrow exceptions for licensed research, teaching, veterinary care, zoos, and commercial sellers.
Rocklin Ban on Keeping Wild Animals
Heavy RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code § 6.40.010, § 6.40.020
6.40.010 - Keeping prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep any wild animal. ... 6.40.020 - Exceptions. This chapter shall not apply to any of the following: A.Persons who use wild animals for diagnostic or research purposes, when the use has been approved by the state pursuant to applicable law;B.Persons who use wild animals for teaching purposes in recognized educational instit...
Pet Limits
Rocklin's zoning code sets no direct numeric pet cap, but keeping four or more dogs, cats or similar household pets turns a home into a 'kennel' under Municipal Code Section 17.04.290. Kennels are a conditional use allowed only in commercial and industrial zones, so a household that crosses the four-animal line is operating an unpermitted land use.
Rocklin's Four-Pet Threshold Triggers Kennel Rules
Significant RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code §§ 17.04.290, 17.64.070(A)
"Kennel" is a commercial or non-commercial facility for the grooming, keeping, boarding or maintaining of four or more dogs, cats, and/or other animals commonly considered as household pets over the age of four months. ... Kennels, for boarding of animals for commercial or noncommercial purposes, except those prohibited by Section 17.64.030.A, are permitted in the following zone districts subje...
Cat Rules
Rocklin exempts the domestic cat from its at-large and trespass prohibitions under Municipal Code Section 6.12.020(A), so cats may roam freely, but Section 6.12.160 still allows impoundment of any cat that damages property or bites, scratches, or claws a person or another animal.
Rocklin Domestic Cat Rules
Light RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code §§ 6.12.020, 6.12.160
6.12.020 - Animals at large. A.No person shall allow any animal, except the domestic cat, to run at large. ... 6.12.160 - Cats which injure persons or property. No owner of a domestic cat shall permit or suffer the cat to damage property, public or private, real or personal, or to bite, scratch or claw any human being or other animal which is the property of another. Any domestic cat which has ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
In the City of Rocklin, any domestic swine kept as a household pet must be spayed or neutered before the city will license it. A male swine that has not been neutered or a female that has not been spayed may not be kept anywhere in the city.
Rocklin Mandatory Spay/Neuter for Pet Swine
Some RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code § 6.34.040
6.34.040 - Domestic swine to be spayed/neutered. No person shall keep or maintain any male domestic swine that has not been neutered or any female domestic swine that has not been spayed.
Pet Groomer Rules
Rocklin's home business ordinance flatly prohibits operating an animal hospital or grooming facility out of a residence. Anyone wanting to groom pets professionally must locate the operation where personal services uses are zoned, not inside a home, under Municipal Code Section 17.68.030.
Rocklin Bars Pet Grooming as a Home Business
Significant RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code § 17.68.030
The following uses are prohibited as home businesses: ... 3.Animal hospital or grooming facility;4.Auto and other vehicle repair, including auto painting;5.Bathhouse;6.Bed and breakfasts;7.Carpentry/cabinet makers/woodworking/ furniture repair; ... 16.Veterinary services, including boarding;17.Welding.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Rocklin's zoning code treats a veterinary clinic as a conditional use, never a by-right use. Municipal Code Section 17.46.020 allows a veterinary clinic in the C-2 zone only with a conditional use permit, and Section 17.48.020 does the same for animal hospitals and veterinary clinics in the C-3 zone.
Rocklin Limits Veterinary Clinics to Commercial Zones
Some RestrictionsRocklin Municipal Code §§ 17.04.625, 17.46.020(V)
"Veterinary clinic" means a facility for the care and medical treatment of household pets, and may include short term boarding, only within the building, for medical and non-medical purposes. Veterinary facilities operating prior to the effective date of this definition may board animals as noted above regardless of any prohibition to such use in their conditional use permit, if any. ... A.Comm...
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