Animal Ordinances in Kern County, CA (2026)
12 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Kern County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In unincorporated Kern County, poultry and livestock keeping is tied to zoning: § 19.60.020 permits it in the Residential Suburban (RS) district and Chapter 19.12 in agricultural zones, with coops set back 30 feet from off-site residences and 100 feet from schools, parks and hospitals.
Animals: Chickens Livestock
Some RestrictionsKern County Zoning Ordinance §§ 19.60.020 & 19.60.070 (Residential Suburban (RS) Combining District — Permitted Uses; Yards and Setbacks)
19.60.020 PERMITTED USES. The following uses and others determined to be similar to these uses pursuant to Sections 19.08.030 through 19.08.080 of this title are permitted in an RS District: A. Breeding, raising, and keeping of poultry, birds, rabbits, chinchillas, fish, frogs, or bees for the domestic use of the resident/occupant of the lot, provided, however, there shall be no killing or dres...
Dog Leash Laws
Kern County requires dogs to be leashed and controlled, or confined, on public property and other people's land under KCC § 7.08.150; off-leash is allowed only on the owner's secured property. Dogs 4 months and older must be licensed.
Animals: Dog Leash Laws
Light RestrictionsCal. Food & Agric. Code § 30951 (state preempts dog tag requirements) — Kern County Animal Services leash-law implementation
Cal. Food & Agric. Code § 30951 (verbatim): 'It is unlawful for any person to own, harbor, or keep any dog over the age of four months which does not bear upon it a substantial collar on which one of the following is fastened: (a) A metallic tag which gives the name and post office address of the owner. (b) A metal license tag which is issued by the authority of a county, city and county, or an...
Breed Restrictions
Kern County has no breed-specific ordinance: state law (Cal. Food & Agric. Code §31683) preempts breed bans. Dogs are regulated by conduct under Kern County Code §7.08.270, which defines potentially dangerous and vicious dogs based on behavior.
Animals: Breed Restrictions
Some RestrictionsCal. Food & Agric. Code § 31683 (preempts breed-specific dog bans) — Kern County uses conduct-based dangerous-dog process (Title 7)
Cal. Food & Agric. Code § 31683 (Local Programs Authorized): '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 that may punish a violation of this chapter as a misdemeanor or may impose a more restrictive program to...
Beekeeping
Kern County requires every beekeeper to register colonies annually with the Agricultural Commissioner and keep hives clear of neighbors. Apiaries must sit at least 20 feet from a state highway or county road, a quarter mile from any school or park, and 200 feet from an occupied residence, business building, swimming pool or regularly used air strip, unless the neighbor gives written consent to a closer setback.
Kern County Apiary Setback and Registration Rules
Some RestrictionsKern County Code § 7.50.005
In order to prevent bees from being a hazard or nuisance to persons, no person shall place or maintain an apiary less than the following prescribed distances from the objects specified: A.Twenty (20) feet from the right-of-way of a state highway or county road.B.One-quarter (¼) mile from the outside boundary of any school or park.C.Two hundred (200) feet from any occupied residence or any build...
Exotic Pets
Exotic animal ownership in unincorporated Kern County is controlled by California state law. Fish and Game Code section 2118 makes it unlawful to import, transport, or possess restricted wild animals -- including primates, bears, and crocodilians -- without a state permit.
State Permit Required for Restricted Wild Animals
Heavy RestrictionsCal. Fish & Game Code sec. 2118
It is unlawful to import, transport, possess, or release alive into this state, except under a revocable, nontransferable permit as provided in this chapter and the regulations pertaining thereto, any wild animal of the following species:
Pet Limits
Unincorporated Kern County sets no fixed cap on pets per household. The practical line is commercial activity: more than one litter a year, or boarding, training or selling animals for compensation, requires a Commercial Animal Facility permit under County Code § 7.08.040. Dogs must be licensed at four months.
Animals: Pet Limits
Some RestrictionsKern County Animal Services — Commercial Animal Facility Permit (Kern County Code § 7.08.040 implementation)
Kern County does not impose a fixed cap on the number of household dogs or cats. A Commercial Animal Facility permit is required at higher thresholds, defined by Kern County Animal Services as: '(1) Any premises where a person is in the business of buying or selling, boarding, breeding more than one (1) litter per year, letting for hire, or training for a fee dogs or cats. Animal shelters as de...
Cat Rules
Kern County Code Chapter 7.08 requires every dog over four months old to be licensed, tagged, and vaccinated, but the same chapter never imposes a license, tag, or fee on cats. Section 7.08.015(V) goes further, excluding "feral cat caretakers" from the legal definition of "owner," so residents who feed community cats are not automatically treated as the animal's legal keeper.
No Cat License Required in Unincorporated Kern County
Few RestrictionsKern County Code § 7.08.015(V) and (M) (Definitions)
V."Owner" of an animal means any person who owns, possesses, controls, keeps, cares for, harbors, or has custody of the animal for fifteen (15) or more consecutive days, except feral cat caretakers, a veterinarian, or an operator of a grooming shop, commercial animal facility, or a pet shop engaged in the regular practice of this business as such. ... M."Cat, feral" is a cat without owner ident...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Unincorporated Kern County does not mandate spaying or neutering of pets. Owners of unaltered dogs instead pay higher license fees ($60 per year versus $15 for altered dogs), and California law requires shelters and rescues to sterilize dogs before adoption.
No Mandatory Spay/Neuter; Higher Unaltered Dog Fees
Some RestrictionsCal. Food & Agr. Code sec. 30503(a)
Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), no public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group shall sell or give away to a new owner any dog that has not been spayed or neutered.
Microchipping
Kern County doesn't force every pet owner to microchip a dog or cat that has never seen the shelter. But once an animal passes through the county's impound system, microchipping becomes mandatory: every dog and cat is scanned at intake, and any one not already chipped must be microchipped before it can be redeemed by its owner or adopted out.
Kern County Shelter Pets Must Be Microchipped
Some RestrictionsKern County Code §§ 7.08.160, 7.08.190(E), 7.08.200(C)
The director shall require that a true and faithful record be kept of the number and description of all animals taken into custody... Every dog and cat shall be scanned for a microchip. ... E. All dogs and cats, not already microchipped, shall be microchipped prior to redemption. ... C. All dogs and cats, not already microchipped, shall be microchipped prior to adoption.
Pet Groomer Rules
Kern County doesn't license a grooming shop that only bathes, clips, or plucks animals. But Section 7.08.015(Y) flips the moment a groomer boards pets overnight: a grooming shop that boards animals is reclassified as a "commercial animal facility," pulling it into the annual permit, application, and inspection scheme set out in Section 7.08.040.
Kern County Grooming Shops That Board Pets Need Permit
Some RestrictionsKern County Code §§ 7.08.015(Y) and 7.08.040(A)
Y."Grooming shop" means a business enterprise where animals are bathed, clipped, plucked, or otherwise groomed. A grooming shop that boards animals shall be considered as a commercial animal facility for permitting, inspection, and enforcement actions pursuant to this code. ... A. No person shall own, operate, conduct or maintain a commercial animal facility without first having obtained a perm...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Kern County's zoning ordinance treats veterinary clinics differently by district. A household-pet clinic with no outside kennels is permitted by right in the C-1 and C-2 commercial districts, while a full veterinary hospital with kennels needs a conditional use permit in those same commercial zones and in the Exclusive Agriculture, Limited Agriculture, Estate, and Rural Living districts.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules in Unincorporated Kern County
Some RestrictionsKern County Zoning Ordinance §§ 19.12.030, 19.14.030, 19.16.030, 19.30.020, 19.30.030, 19.32.020, 19.32.030, 19.36.020, 19.38.020, 19.40.020, 19.61.030
19.30.020: — Veterinary, household pets only; provided, there are no outside kennels. ... 19.30.030 (Uses permitted with a conditional use permit): — Veterinary, including veterinary hospital. ... 19.36.020 (Permitted uses, Light Industrial M-1): — Veterinary, including veterinary hospital. ... 19.12.030 (Uses permitted with a conditional use permit, Exclusive Agriculture): — Veterinary, large ...
Bird Protection
Kern County makes it a misdemeanor to trap, hunt, shoot or molest any bird or wild fowl, or rob bird nests, within the North Edwards Bird Sanctuary, a mapped tract surrounding the unincorporated community of North Edwards.
North Edwards Bird Sanctuary Protections
Significant RestrictionsKern County Code § 13.16.010 (North Edwards Bird Sanctuary)
B.It is unlawful to trap, hunt, shoot or attempt to shoot or molest in any manner, any bird or wild fowl, or to rob bird nests in the North Edwards Bird Sanctuary, more particularly described as: the parcel of land, Sections 27, 28, 33 and 34, Township 11 North, Range 9 West, SBB&M, county of Kern, state of California... C.It is not unlawful to remove a bird nest attached to a dwelling designed...
Animal Ordinances by City in Kern County
3 cities in Kern County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Kern County ordinances
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