Animal Ordinances in Santa Clara County, CA (2026)

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B31-117

No person shall keep, maintain or harbor five or more roosters within unincorporated Santa Clara County without first obtaining a rooster coop permit from the Manager, and subject to the provisions of the County Zoning Ordinance. The annual fee for the permit shall be fixed by resolution of the Board of Supervisors. No permit is required to keep, maintain or harbor four or fewer roosters. Ho...

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B31-31

The owner/guardian or person with the right to control any dog shall keep such dog under his or her physical restraint by means of a leash not to exceed six feet in length, or shall keep such dog confined behind a fence of sound construction and not less than six feet high so as to prevent the animal's escape.(b)Subsection (a) shall not apply to the following:(1)Guide, signal and service dogs f...

Cal. Food & Agric. 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...

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B29-12

(a)An apiary containing one to three colonies shall be placed either:(1)A minimum of 100 feet from all property lines and public roadways; or(2)Twenty-five feet from all property line and roadways only if an effective flight dispersing barrier is constructed and maintained.(b)An apiary containing four to 20 colonies shall be placed a minimum of 100 feet from all property lines and public roadwa...

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B31-80

No person shall keep, have, maintain, sell, trade, or let for hire a dangerous animal without first obtaining a permit from the Manager. An application for such permit shall be filed in accordance with Section B31-71. The application for a permit, permit conditions, inspection, denial, revocation, and appeal shall be the same as set forth in Sections B31-71-79, inclusive, of this chapter.(b)No ...

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B14-24.4

No person shall feed wildlife in a Park, except by Valid Permit issued by the Director. (Ord. No. NS-702.93, 1-9-18) Sec. B14-24.5. - Molesting livestock prohibited. No person shall molest, harass, or injure livestock in any part or portion of any Park Area. (Ord. No. NS-702.93, 1-9-18)

Cal. Penal Code § 597

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c) of this section or Section 599c, a person who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures, or wounds a living animal, or maliciously and intentionally kills an animal, is guilty of a crime punishable pursuant to subdivision (d). (b) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (a) or (c), a person who overdrives, overloads, drives when overl...

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B31-56(a)

No person shall own/be the guardian of, maintain or board any cat four months of age or older within unincorporated Santa Clara County which has not been licensed pursuant to the provisions of this article, except that:(1)A County license shall not be required for an animal owned/under the guardianship of or under the control of a nonresident of the County, and which is to be kept in the County...

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B31-32(a); see also § B31-51(a) (cats)

In addition, of the animals legally permitted on the property, not more than one female dog may be unspayed. A female dog shall be rebuttably presumed to be unspayed unless the owner/guardian provides evidence of spaying. Written certification from a licensed veterinarian that an animal cannot be spayed for health reasons or is incapable of breeding shall be deemed a satisfactory substitution f...

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B31-70

No person shall conduct, operate or keep any pet shop, commercial kennel, private kennel, pet grooming parlor, animal menagerie or animal shelter within unincorporated Santa Clara County without first obtaining an appropriate permit from the Manager, and subject to the provisions of the County Zoning Ordinance. The annual permit fee for the above animal facilities shall be fixed by resolution o...

Santa Clara County Zoning Ordinance § 2.20.020, Table 2.20-2, Note 17

A AR HS RR Veterinary Clinics and Hospitals U U U U Note 17 ... 17.The minimum lot size for veterinary clinics and hospitals shall be two and one-half acres.