Animal Ordinances in San Clemente, CA (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for San Clemente, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Chickens and other fowl kept at a San Clemente residence must stay at least 100 feet from any neighboring residential structure occupied by someone else, unless the Zoning Code expressly allows a closer distance for that use.
San Clemente Backyard Chicken Setback Rule
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.24.010
It shall be unlawful for any person in a residential structure to keep or maintain any animal within 100 feet of any other residential structure occupied by a person other than the animal's owner and/or keeper unless: 1.It is expressly allowed by the Zoning Code;
Dog Leash Laws
San Clemente requires every dog off its owner's property to be on a leash or chain no longer than six feet, unless it is under an in-hand handler's control. On the owner's own land, a fence, wall or comparable restraint satisfies the rule instead.
San Clemente Dog Leash and Restraint Law
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.12.010
No person owning or having charge, care, custody or control of any dog shall cause or permit, either shall fully or through failure to exercise due care or control, any such dog to be upon any: A.Private property unless such dog be restrained thereon by a fence, wall, substantial chain or leash not exceeding six feet in length, other appropriate physical restraint, or is under the charge of a p...
Breed Restrictions
San Clemente has no breed-specific ban. Instead, Chapter 6.20 lets the Coastal Animal Services Authority declare any dog 'potentially dangerous' or 'vicious' based on its own conduct, applying the standards in California Food and Agriculture Code Sections 31602 and 31603.
San Clemente Dangerous Dog Rules, Not Breed Bans
Significant RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.20.020
A dog is "potentially dangerous" if it is found to have engaged in any of the following, per California Food and Agriculture Code section 31602:1.A dog that on two separate occasions within the prior 36 month period, engages in any unprovoked behavior that requires a defensive action by a person to prevent bodily injury to a person, domestic animal, or livestock, off the property of the owner o...
Beekeeping
Keeping any hive or swarm of bees anywhere in San Clemente requires a permit under the city's wild-animal chapter. A narrow exception covers bees kept for study or research at schools and labs, as long as they are not allowed to fly free.
San Clemente Beekeeping Permit Rule
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.28.060
It shall be unlawful for any person to have, keep, or maintain any hive or swarm of bees within the city without a permit. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the keeping of bees within an educational institution for study or observation or within a physician's office or laboratory for medical research, treatment, or other scientific purposes, provided they are not permitted to fl...
Exotic Pets
San Clemente bans keeping any wild, exotic or non-domesticated animal without a permit from the general manager of the Coastal Animal Services Authority. Applicants must prove the animal poses no danger and the site meets zoning rules before a permit issues.
San Clemente Wild and Exotic Animal Permits
Significant RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.28.010
No person shall keep or maintain any wild, exotic or non-domesticated animal within the boundaries of the cities served by the authority without first obtaining a permit from the general manager. In addition to all information required in the application, the applicant shall substantiate to the satisfaction of the general manager the following facts: ... A.That the wild/exotic or non-domesticat...
Wildlife Feeding
San Clemente bans feeding coyotes and other non-domesticated predators citywide, with narrow exceptions for licensed animal owners and injured wildlife. A separate rule bans feeding wild pigeons on the municipal pier, with fines up to $200.
San Clemente Wildlife Feeding Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.28.070
No person shall feed or in any manner provide food for non-domesticated mammalian predators such as coyotes (Canis latrans). This section shall also include a ban on feeding raccoons, foxes, skunks and opossums. ... The following are exceptions to the prohibition set forth in Section 6.28.070: A.When an owner is in legal possession of a non-domesticated animal that is kept under a valid license...
Pet Limits
Keeping four or more dogs or cats over four months old at a San Clemente home requires a private kennel permit. Any combination of other animals is capped at six, unless another provision of Title 6 expressly allows more.
San Clemente Household Pet Limit Rule
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.24.010(2)
2.Dogs and cats. With the exception of those persons who have a valid animal rescue permit issued by authority, any person keeping four or more dogs or cats over four months in age, or any combination thereof, is first required to obtain a private kennel permit pursuant to San Clemente Municipal Code Section 6.20.010. Keeping more than six animals other than dogs or cats over four months in age...
Cat Rules
Unlike dogs, cats over four months old in San Clemente are never required to carry a license. Section 6.10.130 makes cat registration purely optional, though a licensed cat must still show current rabies vaccination for the full one-year term.
San Clemente Cat Licensing Rules
Light RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.10.130
Cats over four months of age may, but are not required to, be licensed with the authority in the same manner in which dogs are licensed. Cats must have current rabies vaccination valid for the entire one year registration period. The obtaining of such a license shall be optional on the part of the owner.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
San Clemente does not require pets citywide to be fixed, but a dog formally declared potentially dangerous must be spayed or neutered at the owner's expense before it can be released, or within 30 days if it was never impounded.
San Clemente Dangerous-Dog Spay/Neuter Rule
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.20.080(F)
The following conditions apply to a dog determined to be potentially dangerous: ... F.The dog must be spayed or neutered at the expense of the owner or custodian before the release of the dog to its owner or custodian. If the dog was not impounded, the dog owner or custodian must provide proof that the dog has been spayed or neutered within 30 calendar days after the decision declaring the dog ...
Microchipping
San Clemente does not require microchipping for ordinary pets, but a dog declared potentially dangerous must be licensed, microchipped and vaccinated at the owner's expense before release, or within 10 days if it was never impounded.
San Clemente Dangerous Dog Microchip Rule
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 6.20.080(A)
In addition to any other conditions, the dog must be properly licensed, microchipped, and vaccinated at the owner or custodian's expense before it is released to the dog's owner or custodian. If the dog was not impounded, the dog owner or custodian must provide proof that the dog is licensed, microchipped, and vaccinated within 10 days after the decision declaring the dog to be potentially dang...
Pet Groomer Rules
A grooming parlor in San Clemente cannot open without a license from the Coastal Animal Services Authority. The permit chapter covers commercial groomers alongside kennels, pet shops and animal rescue shops, with inspection, record-keeping and revocation rules attached.
San Clemente Pet Grooming Parlor Permit
Significant RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code §§ 6.04.010, 6.40.010
"Grooming parlor" means any place where animals are groomed, clipped, bathed, or otherwise conditioned as pets and/or for show in exchange for a fee, except when such service is offered and provided by a commercial kennel or licensed veterinary hospital. ... No person shall conduct or operate within the cities served by the authority any commercial breeding or boarding kennel or cattery, pet sh...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
San Clemente's zoning code lets veterinary and animal hospital offices operate by right in the NC 1.3, NC 2 and NC 3 neighborhood commercial zones and all four Community Commercial zones (CC 1 through CC 4). In the smaller NC 1.1 and NC 1.2 zones the same use needs a Minor Conditional Use Permit first, and it is not listed at all for the Regional Medical Facilities (RMF 1) zone.
Veterinary Hospital Zoning in San Clemente
Some RestrictionsSan Clemente Municipal Code § 17.36.020 (Table 17.36.020)
P Where the symbol "P" appears, the use shall be permitted. ... MC Where the symbol "MC" appears, the use shall be permitted subject to the issuance of a Minor Conditional Use Permit, in accordance with Section 17.16.070, Minor Conditional Use Permits, of this title. ... Use Zones 5. Professional Offices, Financial Institutions and Related Uses NC 1.1 NC 1.2 NC 1.3 NC 2 NC 3 CC 1 CC 2 CC 3 CC 4...
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