Animal Ordinances in Mendocino County, CA (2026)
10 rules for unincorporated Mendocino County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Mendocino County limits personal chicken and rabbit keeping to six birds or rabbits total on parcels of 40,000 square feet or less. Coops must sit on the rear third of the lot, at least 50 feet from any house and five feet from the side or rear line. Barns and chicken houses that hold animals face similar rear-third and 40-foot dwelling setbacks under the zoning code.
Mendocino County Backyard Chicken and Rabbit Rules
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code §§ 20.032.030, 20.152.015(H)
"Animal raising—personal" means the raising of hen chickens or rabbits for personal use on parcels forty thousand (40,000) square feet or less in size in accordance with the following criteria:(A)No more than six (6) of any one (1) or combination of such animals on the lot;(B)Maintained in coops or pens located at a distance of fifty (50) feet or more from buildings used for human habitation;(C...
Dog Leash Laws
Mendocino County bans letting dogs run at large or roam off their owner's property, and any dog on public property must be on a leash no longer than six feet under Section 10.08.010(A). Violators risk impoundment by Animal Control, and dogs already declared vicious face a shorter four-foot leash-and-muzzle rule instead.
Mendocino County Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.08.010(A)
(A)It shall be unlawful for any person who owns, harbors or keeps any dog:(1)To permit or cause such dog to run at large, roam or run astray.(2)To fail to keep the dog under physical control when the dog is upon any public property or private property without the express permission of the owner or the custodian of such property.(3)To allow a dog on public property without a leash not exceeding ...
Breed Restrictions
Mendocino County does not restrict dogs by breed. Instead, Chapter 10.10 regulates any animal individually declared 'vicious' based on its behavior, requiring the owner to carry a $50,000 liability insurance policy, post a warning sign, and keep the animal muzzled and leashed on a leash no longer than four feet whenever it leaves its pen.
Mendocino County Vicious and Dangerous Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.10.010
(A)The purpose of this article is to establish a program for the control of vicious animals. This Chapter does not apply to dogs while utilized by the sheriff, any police department or any law enforcement officer in the performance of police work.(B)All owners of vicious animals, in addition to the required permit, must provide written proof (a true copy) of public liability insurance policy in...
Exotic Pets
Mendocino County requires an annual permit from Animal Care Services before anyone may keep, sell, trade, or lease out an exotic animal, under Section 10.12.030(A). The animal must also carry a California Department of Fish and Wildlife permit, and owners must register it with a photo and a caretaking veterinarian's name.
Mendocino County Exotic Animal Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.12.030(A)
(A)Permit Required. No person shall keep, have, maintain, sell, trade, or let for hire an exotic animal without first obtaining a permit from Animal Care Services. Said permit shall require renewal on an annual basis. The application for a permit, permit conditions, inspection, denial, revocation, and appeal shall be the same as set forth in sections 10.12.020 through and 10.12.040 inclusive of...
Pet Limits
Mendocino County does not cap how many dogs or cats a household may keep, but Section 10.04.088(A) defines any home with five or more dogs as a 'noncommercial kennel,' and Section 10.12.020(A)(1) requires that owner to hold a noncommercial kennel license from Animal Care Services. There is no equivalent numeric kennel threshold for cats in the ordinance.
Mendocino County Household Dog and Cat Limits
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.12.020(A)(1)
(1)No person shall conduct a commercial kennel without a current commercial kennel license, in addition to a County business license from the Treasurer-Tax Collector. No person(s) shall be issued a non-commercial kennel license without verifying to the fact that their dogs (five (5) or more) are not to be sold or traded for commercial purposes.
Cat Rules
Mendocino County makes it an infraction for a cat to damage property or bite, scratch, or claw a person or another animal off its owner's premises, under Section 10.08.020(A). Anyone maintaining a colony of two or more feral cats must register it with Animal Care Services or a Community Animal Rescue Partner under Section 10.08.030.
Mendocino County Cat and Feral Colony Rules
Light RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.08.020(A); § 10.08.030
(A)It shall be unlawful and an infraction for any person who owns or harbors or keeps any cat:(1)To permit a cat to damage property, public or private, real or personal, or to bite, scratch, or claw any human being or other animal which is on the property of another.(2)To take a cat into any of the places set forth in Section 10.08.010(7)... It shall be unlawful and an infraction for any person...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Mendocino County will not place a dog or cat up for adoption from the County shelter unless it has been spayed or neutered, under Section 10.24.090(A). New owners may take an intact animal home only after signing an agreement and posting a deposit to have it altered within thirty business days, and a second impound of an unaltered animal triggers a mandatory spay or neuter before release.
Mendocino County Shelter Spay/Neuter Rules
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.24.090(A)-(B)
(A)Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, the County shall not place for adoption any dog or cat that has not been spayed or neutered.(B)The County may transfer to a new owner a dog or cat that has not been spayed or neutered under the following circumstances:(1)The new owner signs a written agreement acknowledging the dog or cat is not spayed or neutered and agrees to be responsible for...
Microchipping
Mendocino County requires every impounded dog or cat that lacks microchip identification to be implanted with one before release, at the owner's expense, under Section 10.24.110(A). The fee is set by the Board of Supervisors and is waived only if the animal already carries a microchip from another facility that just needs its number entered into the County registry.
Mendocino County Impounded Animal Microchip Rule
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.24.110(A)
(A)Microchipping Requirement. When an impounded dog or cat is without microchip identification, in addition to satisfying applicable requirements for the release of the animal, including, but not limited to, payment of impound fees required by this Chapter, the owner or keeper will be required to do the following have the dog or cat implanted with an animal services microchip by designated pers...
Pet Groomer Rules
Mendocino County requires every grooming shop or parlor to hold a valid license before opening, treating unlicensed pet-grooming businesses the same as unlicensed kennels or pet shops. Operating without one is an infraction under County Code Section 10.12.010, and groomers also fall under the zoning code's Animal Sales and Services use category, which needs planning approval in most commercial districts.
Mendocino County Pet Groomer Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 10.12.010(I)(6)
(6)It is an infraction to possess, own, keep or harbor any unlicensed dog or to maintain, conduct, or cause to be operated any unlicensed kennel, grooming shop/parlor, pet shop, commercial kennel and profit or nonprofit dog adoption agency.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Mendocino County zoning splits veterinary uses into large-animal and small-animal classifications and sets fixed setbacks for both: indoor treatment areas must sit at least fifty feet from the property line and outdoor treatment or confinement areas at least one hundred feet, under Zoning Code Section 20.152.015(J). Small-animal clinics offering overnight care must keep animals inside a fully enclosed building under Section 20.024.020(G).
Mendocino County Veterinary Clinic Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 20.152.015(J)
Animal Sales and Services—Veterinary (all types) as described in sections 20.024.020(F) and (G) must maintain a minimum fifty (50) foot setback from the nearest property line to all indoor treatment areas and a minimum one-hundred-foot setback from the nearest property line for outdoor treatment or confinement areas.
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