Animal Ordinances in Merced County, CA (2026)
12 rules for unincorporated Merced County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Merced County treats backyard chickens and other fowl as 'livestock' under its animal control code, which bars livestock from straying off the owner's property and requires them to be kept behind a lawful stock fence. A wire fence only counts as lawful if it has at least three tightly stretched barbed wires on posts no more than 10 feet apart.
Merced County Livestock Fencing & At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code §§ 7.04.010 (Definitions - 'Livestock'), 7.04.080 (Livestock at Large), 7.04.090 (Lawful Fence)
'Livestock' means any horses, donkeys, mules, burros, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, llamas, camels, rabbits and fowl commonly kept or raised in the county as farm or livestock animals. ... No person shall permit or suffer livestock to stray from private property owned by the owner or custodian of such livestock, or from private property to which such owner or custodian has a right of possession....
Dog Leash Laws
Merced County requires any dog off its owner's private property to be on a leash or lead no longer than eight feet. The rule applies countywide in unincorporated areas, with narrow exceptions for police, search-and-rescue, obedience training, herding, and licensed hunting dogs.
Merced County Dog Leash Law: Eight-Foot Limit
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.070(A)
No person shall permit or suffer a dog to stray from private property owned or legally possessed by the dog owner or custodian unless the dog is restrained by a leash or lead not exceeding eight feet in length, except in the following situations: 1. When the dog is assisting a peace officer who is engaged in law enforcement duties or when the dog is participating in a search and rescue effort a...
Breed Restrictions
Merced County does not regulate dogs by breed; instead it declares individual dogs 'potentially dangerous' or 'vicious' through a Superior Court hearing under § 7.04.292. Once so declared, the dog must be confined, muzzled on leash off-property, registered, and in vicious-dog cases may be destroyed, with fines up to $1,000 per violation.
Merced County Dangerous & Vicious Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.292(A)(1), (H)(1)(b), (H)(1)(j)
Within the county of Merced there are potentially dangerous and vicious dogs that have become a serious and widespread threat to the safety and welfare of citizens of the county which should be abated. The provisions of this section set forth the procedures by which a dog is found to be a poten-tially dangerous or a vicious dog, thereby becoming subject to appropriate controls and other actions...
Beekeeping
Merced County's Zoning Code treats commercial apiaries as a separate land use requiring a permit, not a hobby any homeowner can add to a lot. Table 4-3 of the animal-confinement chapter allows bee raising only in the A-1 general agricultural zone with an Administrative Permit, and marks it 'Not Permitted' across every rural-residential, single-family, and multi-family zone in the unincorporated county.
Merced County Bans Beekeeping Outside Ag Zones
Significant RestrictionsMerced County Code § 18.64.030(B)-(C), Table 4-3
B. Applicability. The raising or keeping of animals as either an incidental or principal use shall comply with the requirements of this chapter, regardless of whether a land use permit is required. The following animal raising and keeping activities are separate land uses, and subject to a use permit. 1. Animal hospitals; 2. Animal boarding facilities; 3. Animal confinement facilities; 4. ...
Exotic Pets
Merced County bans keeping a wild animal, from venomous snakes over eight feet to big cats, primates, and elephants, without an annual permit from animal control. Chapter 7.04's wild-animal definition sweeps in most non-domestic species capable of threatening people, and possessing one unpermitted is a misdemeanor.
Merced County Wild Animal Possession Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.275
It is unlawful to operate a kennel, cattery, or possess a wild animal within Merced County without a valid permit. Person or persons found operating a kennel, cattery, or possessing a wild animal in violation of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. After a person or persons have been given written notification that a violation of this chapter exists, each day the violation cont...
Cat Rules
Cats in unincorporated Merced County can't run loose off their owner's property (the ordinance defines 'at large' to include an unrestrained cat), and every cat over four months old must carry a current rabies vaccination. Unlike dogs, cats aren't required to hold a county license.
Merced County Cat Vaccination and At-Large Rules
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.210(B)
Every cat over four months of age shall have a medically current vaccination with an appropriate antirabies vaccine approved by the California State Department of Health Services.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
A dog or cat impounded a third time within 12 months in unincorporated Merced County must be spayed or neutered, at the owner's expense, before animal control will release it again. Registered breeding animals can get a waiver if sterilization would devalue them.
Merced County Mandatory Spay/Neuter After Third Impound
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.190(E)(5)
Upon the third impound within a 12 month period, any dog or cat so impounded must be spayed or neutered at the owner's or custodian's expense prior to redemption. If the owner or custodian can prove to the animal control director, manager, or their designee that the animal is a valuable breeding animal and currently registered with a national organization such as the American Kennel Club and su...
Microchipping
Merced County doesn't require every pet to carry a microchip, but any dog or cat impounded for biting someone, or ruled potentially dangerous or vicious, must be implanted with a microchip at the owner's expense before animal control will release it.
Merced County Mandatory Microchip for Biting Dogs
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.190(E)(4)
All animals that have been impounded for biting or having been deemed potentially dangerous or vicious as outlined in Sections 7.04.290 and 7.04.292 of this chapter must be implanted with a microchip at the owners or custodian's expense prior to redemption.
Pet Store Rules
Merced County bars pet stores in the unincorporated area from selling a live dog, cat, or rabbit unless the animal came from a public animal control agency, an SPCA, a humane society, or a rescue group under a cooperative agreement with a shelter, mirroring the statewide AB 485 sourcing law. Pet stores cannot source animals from commercial breeders for retail sale.
Merced County Pet Store Retail Sales Ban
Significant RestrictionsMerced County Zoning Code § 18.14.040(A)(5)
A pet store operator shall not sell a live dog, cat, or rabbit in a pet store unless the dog, cat, or rabbit was obtained from a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group that is in a cooperative agreement with at least one private or public shelter pursuant to Assembly Bill 485 (AB485).
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Merced County requires a Conditional Use Permit before an animal hospital or veterinary office can open in an agricultural zone, and Chapter 18.64 separately flags veterinary clinics and animal hospitals as land uses needing a use permit anywhere they operate. A CUP means Planning Commission review and a public hearing, not staff-level approval.
Merced County Veterinary Office Zoning Permit
Significant RestrictionsMerced County Code Table 2-1 (§ 18.10.020); § 18.64.030(B)
CUP Conditional Use Permit (Chapter 18.116) ... Animal Hospital, Veterinary Office CUP ... The following animal raising and keeping activities are separate land uses, and subject to a use permit. 1. Animal hospitals; ... 8. Veterinary clinics. ... Animal hospital or veterinarian. A place where domestic animals or household pets are given medical or surgical treatment and are cared for during ...
Bird Protection
Every Merced County park and recreation area is a wildlife sanctuary. County Code Section 10.28.040(B) bans hunting or killing, wounding, frightening or capturing any wild bird or animal there at any time, with a narrow exception for dangerous animals that threaten injury.
Merced County Park Wildlife and Bird Ban
Heavy RestrictionsMerced County Code § 10.28.040(B)
Hunting is prohibited in all county parks and recreation areas. All county parks and recreation areas of the county of Merced are sanctuaries for wildlife. There will be no hunting or killing, wounding, frightening, or capturing at any time of any wild bird or animal, except dangerous animals when it is necessary to prevent them from inflicting personal injury.
Wildlife Rescue Permits
Merced County requires an annual administrative permit from the animal control manager, plus zoning clearance, before anyone may keep, harbor, or maintain a wild animal in the unincorporated county. Section 7.04.270 carves out a specific exemption: state-sanctioned wildlife rehabilitators and licensed animal shelters or humane societies do not need this permit to operate their rescue work.
Merced County Wild Animal & Rescue Permit Rules
Light RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.270(B)(1)-(2)(a)-(b)
No person shall maintain or operate a kennel or cattery or keep, harbor, or maintain a wild animal within the geographic area of the county governed by this chapter without first, being appropriately zoned for such activity obtaining or verifying a conditional use permit from the county planning department if required and applying to and receiving from the animal control manager an annual admin...
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