Animal Ordinances in Thousand Oaks, CA (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Thousand Oaks, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Thousand Oaks allows residents to keep livestock such as goats, sheep, pigs, and horses, but sets a minimum 40-foot setback from any home, school, or place of worship and requires a minimum amount of pen or corral space per animal. Owners must also keep enclosures fenced, reasonably clean, and free of odor and fly problems.
Animals: Livestock
Some RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 6-1.101 (Livestock Care and Maintenance)
No livestock shall be housed, kept, or confined within the City except under the following conditions: (a) No livestock shall be housed, kept, or confined within forty (40') feet of any habitable dwelling, religious facility, school, or other place of human habitation except the dwelling of the owner thereof. (b) The following minimum lot area shall be provided per animal in addition to the are...
Breed Restrictions
Thousand Oaks does not impose breed-specific dog bans. California state law (Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683) prohibits local breed-specific legislation. The city enforces dangerous and vicious dog designations based on individual animal behavior through Ventura County Animal Services.
Thousand Oaks Dog Breed Regulations
Significant RestrictionsCalifornia Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 (No breed-specific dog regulations)
Food and Agricultural Code - FAC, DIVISION 14. REGULATION AND LICENSING OF DOGS, CHAPTER 9. Potentially Dangerous and Vicious Dogs, ARTICLE 5. Miscellaneous. 31683. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a city or county from adopting or enforcing its own program for the control of potentially dangerous or vicious dogs that may incorporate all, part, or none of this chapter, or t...
Beekeeping
Thousand Oaks allows residents to keep bees, but backyard apiaries must sit well back from roads, neighboring homes, and property lines. The Municipal Code sets specific footage buffers designed to keep hives away from foot and vehicle traffic and reduce the odds of a sting complaint from next door.
Animals: Beekeeping
Some RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 9-4.2106(a) (Limitations on Specific Uses — Apiculture and Honey Extraction)
Apiaries are subject to the following limitations: (1) No occupied hive shall be located or maintained within one hundred fifty (150') feet of any public road, street or highway. (2) No occupied hive shall be located or maintained within four hundred (400') feet of any dwelling, unless the owner of said dwelling(s) has consented. (3) No occupied hive shall be located or maintained within fifty ...
Exotic Pets
Anyone wanting to keep a wild animal in Thousand Oaks must first get a permit from the City Manager. The code defines 'wild animal' as anything wild by nature and not customarily domesticated, but specifically excludes common pets like birds, small rodents, and small nonpoisonous reptiles.
Animals: Exotic Pets
Significant RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 6-1.202 (Wild Animal Permits: Required)
No person shall have, keep, or maintain any wild animal without first obtaining a permit so to do from the City Manager. (§ 4481, T.O.O.C., as added by Ord. 69, as amended by § 1, Ord. 489-NS, eff. August 22, 1974, as renumbered by § 25, Ord. 1374-NS, eft. April 26, 2001)
Cat Rules
Thousand Oaks does not require cat owners to license their cats or make them wear tags, unlike the Los Angeles County dog rules the city otherwise adopted. TOMC § 6-1.108 makes cat licensing voluntary, at a fee set by City Council resolution, while a separate rabies-isolation rule still reaches cats that bite or show symptoms.
Thousand Oaks Cat Licensing and Rabies Rules
Few RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 6-1.108 (Amendments: Cat License and Tags Not Required)
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6-1.100(a), cat licenses and the requirement to wear licensing tags as set forth in Sections 10.20.30 and 10.20.180 of said Los Angeles County Code, shall not be required in the City of Thousand Oaks. The licensing of a cat will be allowed on a voluntary basis at the discretion of its owner, upon payment of the license fee prescribed by City Council res...
Microchipping
Thousand Oaks requires dogs 4 months or older to be implanted with an identifying microchip whenever an owner obtains their first city dog license. Dogs that already hold a license only need microchipping if the owner opts in at renewal.
Animals: Microchipping
Light RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 6-1.109 (Amendments: Section 10.20.185, Microchipping of Dogs Required)
An owner or custodian of a dog four (4) months of age or older obtaining a license renewal may have the dog implanted with an identifying microchip. An owner or custodian of a dog four (4) months of age or older not previously having a license within the City is required to have the dog implanted with an identifying microchip in conjunction with obtaining a new dog license. The owner or custodi...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Thousand Oaks requires veterinary hospitals and clinics to be built and operated so animal noise and smell don't spill into neighboring properties. The standards differ for small-animal clinics versus large-animal facilities.
Animals: Veterinary Zoning
Some RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 9-4.2106(p)–(q) (Limitations on Specific Uses — Veterinary Hospitals and Clinics)
(p) Veterinary hospitals and clinics, small animals. Treatment rooms, cages, pens, and kennels shall be maintained within a completely enclosed soundproof building. The hospital or clinic shall be operated in such a way as to produce no objectionable odors outside the building. (q) Veterinary hospitals and clinics, large animals. No treatment rooms, open kennels, or pens shall be maintained nea...
Bird Protection
Native and migratory birds in Thousand Oaks are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and California Fish and Game Code. Residents cannot disturb active nests, harm raptors, or remove birds during nesting season without authorization.
Migratory Bird and Raptor Protections
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Fish and Game Code Section 3503 (Bird nests and eggs protection)
Fish and Game Code - FGC, DIVISION 4. BIRDS AND MAMMALS, PART 2. BIRDS, CHAPTER 1. General Provisions. 3503. It is unlawful to take, possess, or needlessly destroy the nest or eggs of any bird, except as otherwise provided by this code or any regulation made pursuant thereto. (Amended by Stats. 1971, Ch. 1470.)
Wildlife Rescue Permits
Residents cannot legally keep injured wildlife in Thousand Oaks. Possessing or rehabilitating native birds, mammals, or reptiles requires a CDFW Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit. Injured animals should be reported to Ventura County Animal Services or licensed rehabilitators.
Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Permits
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife — Native Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit Program
Injured, sick, and orphaned wild animals may be temporarily possessed for rehabilitation by a person in California under a Native Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit issued by CDFW. Trained wildlife rehabilitators provide treatment and care of these animals for the purpose of their release, in a condition of good health, to suitable habitat in the wild. Wildlife rehabilitators have an important role...
Looking for Ventura County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Thousand Oaks city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Ventura County →