10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Shasta County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Shasta County's animal code treats domestic fowl as 'livestock' and an agricultural activity rather than regulating backyard chicken counts. There is no chicken-number cap in Title 6. Whether you can keep poultry depends on zoning under County Code Title 17, and animals must be kept clean and not allowed to stray or create noise.
In unincorporated Shasta County, owners must not let a dog stray off their premises or enter another's land. The County Code does not impose a countywide leash mandate, but dogs must be leashed in designated dog leash zones and on school grounds. Enforced by the Sheriff's Office Animal Regulation Unit.
Shasta County has no breed-specific ban. The County Code adopts California's breed-neutral potentially-dangerous and vicious dog law (Food & Ag Code 31601 et seq.), with County administrative hearings to declare individual dogs dangerous based on behavior - not breed.
Shasta County regulates beekeeping in detail under County Code Chapter 6.08. Apiaries must be registered with the County Agricultural Commissioner, kept at least 300 feet from another person's dwelling and 100 feet from a public highway, have a water source, and bear an identification sign. Africanized honey bee colonies are banned.
Shasta County's animal code does not separately license exotic pets, so California state law controls. Many wild species (ferrets, monkeys, large cats, certain reptiles and others) are 'restricted' and require a state permit under Fish & Game Code 2118 and Title 14 CCR 671 - permits the Department of Fish and Wildlife does not issue for ordinary pet-keeping.
Shasta County's animal code does not have its own wildlife-feeding ordinance, so California state law controls. Under Title 14 CCR 251.3 it is illegal to knowingly feed big game mammals - deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear, and bighorn sheep - statewide, including in unincorporated Shasta County.
Shasta County's animal code recognizes livestock as an agricultural activity and exempts open-range livestock from several rules. The Code sets no head-count limits - how much livestock you may keep is set by zoning under County Code Title 17. General duties on sanitation, trespass damage, and noise still apply.
Shasta County has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but it addresses the problem through its dog-number cap, sanitation requirements, and humane-care rules - reinforced by California's animal-cruelty law (Penal Code 597). Keeping too many animals in unclean or neglectful conditions is enforceable as a public nuisance.
Shasta County caps dogs at six over four months old per property without a permit. Keeping more requires a dog hobbyist, ranch dog, non-commercial dog sanctuary, or commercial animal establishment permit from the Animal Regulation Unit. The County Code sets no separate limit on the number of cats.
Shasta County does not license cats and has no leash or roaming restriction for them - cats are explicitly exempted from the straying and trespass rules. However, every cat over four months old must be currently vaccinated against rabies under County Code 6.04.070.
1 cities in Shasta County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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