10 rules for unincorporated Plumas County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Plumas County zoning (Title 9, Ch. 2) allows backyard chickens in single-family zones 2-R, 3-R, and 7-R under the Backyard Chicken Ordinance (Article 43). A standard parcel may keep up to six hens; parcels twice the minimum lot size up to twelve. Roosters and slaughter are prohibited. Suburban/rural zones (S-1, S-3, R-10, R-20) and Farm zones already allowed chickens.
Plumas County Code Title 6, Chapter 1 imposes no blanket countywide leash law, but Sec. 6-1.108 makes it unlawful for any animal to be beyond the immediate control of its keeper when at large in public or on private property without permission. Sec. 6-1.214 adds leash-or-restraint rules inside seven named fire and community services districts.
Plumas County Code Title 6, Chapter 1 regulates dangerous and vicious dogs by behavior, not breed. A vicious dog is defined by its propensity to attack or bite without provocation and must be confined in a substantial pen. The cited animal sections contain no breed ban, and California Food and Agricultural Code §31683 bars counties from breed-based dog declarations.
No Plumas County-specific beekeeping ordinance was found in the county's published animal or zoning sections. Beekeeping in unincorporated Plumas County is therefore governed primarily by California's Apiary Protection Act (Food and Agricultural Code Division 13), which requires every apiary to be registered annually with the county agricultural commissioner under §29040.
Plumas County Code Title 6, Chapter 1 makes possession of any wild or restricted animal unlawful where prohibited by State law — California Fish and Game Code §§2116-2203 and CCR Title 14 §§671-671.5. Any other possession is also unlawful unless lawful under state law, covered by a local wild animal permit, and housed in a conforming pen.
No Plumas County-specific ordinance prohibiting the feeding of bears, deer, or other wildlife was found in the county's published animal, sanitation, or zoning sections. In this Sierra Nevada bear-country county, wildlife feeding is instead governed by California Fish and Game Code and Title 14 regulations, which make intentionally feeding big-game mammals such as bears and deer unlawful.
Plumas County zoning (Title 9, Ch. 2) allows large-animal husbandry — horses, cows, and pigs — in qualifying zones at two animals (with young one year or younger) for the first acre, plus one per additional half-acre. They may not be kept on parcels under one acre. Sierra Valley/Genesee ranching is a long-established use.
Plumas County's animal code does not include a stand-alone 'hoarding' section, but the county's kennel definitions (four-dog threshold) and Animal Services' mandate to enforce care, custody, and control laws apply. Severe neglect and hoarding are prosecuted under California Penal Code §597, which makes failing to provide proper care, food, water, or shelter a misdemeanor or felony.
Plumas County sets no simple per-household dog cap, but its code defines a kennel by a four-dog threshold. A hobby dog kennel is any premises keeping four or more dogs over four months old; a commercial dog kennel is four or more dogs kept for profit. Reaching four dogs triggers kennel permit and confinement requirements.
Plumas County's published animal sections impose few cat-specific rules. Dog licensing (Sec. 6-1.201) does not extend to cats, and no countywide cat leash or mandatory spay/neuter rule was found. Cats are barred, with dogs, from the County Fairgrounds without permission. California Penal Code §597 cruelty law and rabies-control rules still apply.
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