10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 10 cities in Sacramento County, California.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Sacramento County, chickens, ducks, and geese may be kept on residential parcels of at least 10,000 square feet. On smaller lots, egg-laying chickens and ducks are limited to one per 1,000 sq ft of parcel (or one per 200 sq ft of rear yard). Coops must be covered, in the rear yard, and 20 feet from neighboring dwellings.
In unincorporated Sacramento County, a dog may not stray from property owned or legally possessed by its owner unless restrained by a leash no longer than eight feet (County Code 8.08.056). Limited exceptions exist for law-enforcement/search-and-rescue dogs, supervised training or competitions, livestock herding, and hunting in a restricted shooting district. An unleashed dog off-property is treated as 'at large.'
Sacramento County bans no dog breed. Under California Food & Agricultural Code 31683, no local dangerous-dog program may be breed-specific — except a mandatory spay/neuter program authorized by Health & Safety Code 122331. Acting on that exception, the County requires unaltered pit-bull-type dogs to be sterilized. General dog rules (licensing, leash, dangerous-dog declarations) apply to all breeds equally.
California Food and Agricultural Code § 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 that may punish a violation of this chapter as a misdemeanor or may impose a more restrictive program to control potentially dangerous or vicious dogs. Except as prov...
Backyard beekeeping is allowed in unincorporated Sacramento County. In agricultural and agricultural-residential zones, hives need only be registered with the County Agricultural Commissioner. Other zones require a lot of at least 5,000 sq ft, with hive caps by lot size: 2 (under 10,000 sf), 4 (10,000–20,000 sf), 6 (over 20,000 sf). All hives must be registered.
Sacramento County publishes no separate exotic-pet ordinance for unincorporated areas; exotic and wild animals are governed mainly by California law. Under Fish & Game Code 2118 and CCR Title 14 section 671, 'restricted species' (big cats, primates, alligators, venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes and other Viperidae) may not be kept as pets, and the state issues no exotic-pet permits.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife — Restricted Species Permits (14 CCR § 671)
Restricted Species Permits are required for every person who imports, exports, transports, or possesses any restricted animal listed in Section 671(c), Title 14, of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) (PDF) . Entitlements Fee Description Restricted Species Permit Application/Amendment New: $155.53 Renewal and Amendment: $80.60 Required for every new permit, permit renewal or amendment of a...
No Sacramento County ordinance specifically bans feeding wildlife in unincorporated areas; the County routes wildlife issues (skunks, raccoons, rodents) to the Agricultural Commissioner's Wildlife Services Program. Under California law, intentionally disrupting an animal's feeding can be unlawful 'harassment' (CCR Title 14 section 251.1), and feeding that attracts nuisance wildlife is enforceable as a property nuisance.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife — Keep Me Wild Program (Human-Wildlife Conflicts Toolkit)
Vision: To proactively address human-wildlife conflicts and improve wildlife incident responses; to support safe human-wildlife interactions; and to increase understanding, awareness and appreciation of wildlife in California. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) can occur when humans encounter or interact with wild animals in an unwanted or unsafe way. In California, habitat loss and a changing clima...
In unincorporated Sacramento County, horses and large livestock are generally allowed on parcels over 20,000 sq ft, incidental to a residence, with Zoning Code stable standards. Pigs are tightly limited by zone — three in AR2 and one on AR1 through RD-7 parcels, all needing 20,000+ sq ft. Animals must be kept in healthy, sanitary, nuisance-free conditions.
Animal hoarding in unincorporated Sacramento County is addressed through the County's four-dog/four-cat pet limit and animal-care duties plus California's cruelty law. Keeping more than four mature dogs or cats without a kennel/cattery permit is a code violation, and overcrowding that harms animals can be prosecuted under California Penal Code 597, with mandatory ownership bans under Penal Code 597.9.
Unincorporated Sacramento County allows up to four mature dogs and four mature cats per lot, building, structure, enclosure, or premises. 'Mature' means four months or older for dogs and six months or older for cats. Keeping more than the limit requires a conditional use permit for a kennel or cattery. All dogs and cats must be licensed and rabies-vaccinated.
Unincorporated Sacramento County requires every cat over four months old to be licensed and currently rabies-vaccinated. Such cats must also be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds an unaltered (intact) license or qualifies for an exemption. Up to four mature cats (six months or older) are allowed per premises. Altered-cat license fees run about half the intact fee.
10 cities in Sacramento County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
14 verified rules • Animal Hoarding, Beekeeping
7 verified rules • Beekeeping, Breed Restrictions
7 verified rules • Beekeeping, Breed Restrictions
7 verified rules • Beekeeping, Breed Restrictions
4 verified rules • Beekeeping, Chickens & Livestock
7 verified rules • Beekeeping, Breed Restrictions
4 verified rules • Beekeeping, Chickens & Livestock
5 verified rules • Beekeeping, Breed Restrictions
7 verified rules • Beekeeping, Breed Restrictions
7 verified rules • Beekeeping, Breed Restrictions
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