Animal Ordinances in Stanislaus County, CA (2026)
10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Stanislaus County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In Stanislaus County's Rural Residential (R-A) district, any building used for keeping livestock or poultry must sit at least fifty feet from any public street and forty feet from any adjacent property, a setback set out at Zoning Code Section 21.24.080(D) that is far stricter than the five-foot side-yard rule that applies to ordinary accessory buildings.
Stanislaus County Livestock Building Setbacks
Some RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 21.24.080(D)
Buildings for Keeping Livestock or Poultry. Not less than fifty feet from any public street, measured from edge of pavement, nor less than forty feet from any adjacent property.
Dog Leash Laws
County code caps every leash at eight feet and bars letting an animal roam off-lead, trespass onto private property, make habitual noise, or become a public nuisance. Section 7.16.010 exempts only animals confined on their owner's own property, on private land with the occupant's consent, secured school programs, or animals restrained in a vehicle or cage.
Stanislaus County Dog Leash and Restraint Rule
Some RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.16.010(A)-(B)
No owner of any animal, wild or domestic, except the domestic cat, shall permit or suffer the animal to: 1. Be off a leash or to be restrained by a leash which is more than eight feet in length, except that an animal need not be on a leash while it is on the premises of its owner nor while on other private property with consent of that owner or lessee or tenant. 2. Enter upon private property w...
Breed Restrictions
Stanislaus County has no breed-specific ban; instead Chapter 7.28 lets SASA investigate any animal reported to show "a propensity to attack, bite, scratch, or harass" without provocation and refer it to Animal Court. A declared dangerous animal can be ordered seized, confined, leashed, or impounded at the owner's expense under Sections 7.28.010 and 7.28.020.
Stanislaus County Dangerous Dog Declaration Rule
Significant RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.28.010; § 7.28.020
Whenever an animal suspected of being potentially dangerous or vicious is reported, the animal services executive director shall investigate the circumstances; and if he or she finds that the animal shows a propensity to attack, bite, scratch, or harass people or other animals without provocation, he or she shall notify the owner, stating all the facts and circumstances. Animal Court may order ...
Beekeeping
Stanislaus County requires anyone keeping bees to register their apiary with the agricultural commissioner under state Food and Agricultural Code Section 29044, but the Board of Supervisors waives the fee entirely for hobbyists who keep nine or fewer colonies. Commercial beekeepers pay to offset the commissioner's registration paperwork and inspection costs.
Stanislaus County Beekeeper Registration Rule
Light RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 9.45.010 (Ord. CS 989 § 2, 2007; Ord. CS 1054 § 1, 2009)
FAC, Section 29044 requires the secretary of food and agriculture to adopt registration fees for beekeepers, apiary operators, apiary owners, and other persons in possession any apiary. The registration fee must be paid when registering their bees with the agricultural commissioner. The county board of supervisors may waive the registration fee for any beekeeper, apiary operators, apiary owners...
Exotic Pets
Keeping any animal "not commonly kept or raised in the county as a domesticated animal" that could be dangerous to health or safety requires a license from SASA before you may possess it. Section 7.28.030 lets the animal services executive director deny, condition, or revoke that license any time the animal threatens community health, peace, or safety.
Stanislaus County Exotic Animal Possession License
Significant RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.28.030(A)-(B)
No person shall possess any animal not commonly kept or raised in the county as a domesticated animal and which is or may be, in the opinion of the animal services executive director, dangerous to the health and safety of any person, without first obtaining a license for the possession of the animal. If the possession of the animal does not violate any federal or state law or zoning ordinance, ...
Pet Limits
There's no flat cap on pets per household, but keeping five or more dogs or cats over four months old makes the property a "kennel" under Section 7.08.080, and Section 7.24.010 requires a kennel license before anyone may operate one: commercial or not.
Stanislaus County Kennel Threshold for Pets
Some RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.08.080; § 7.24.010
"Kennel" means a place where five or more dogs or cats over four months of age are kept for commercial or noncommercial purposes. The term "kennel" shall not apply to animal shelters operated by governmental agencies, nonprofit societies for the care of stray animals or to veterinary hospitals. A kennel is defined in Section 7.08.080. No person shall, without first obtaining a kennel license, k...
Cat Rules
Stanislaus County does not require cat owners to license their cats. Section 7.54.070 makes it voluntary, unlike the mandatory four-month dog license. Owners who buy one qualify for a spay/neuter voucher through the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency. People who feed and manage barn or feral cat colonies can register as caretakers under Section 7.08.100(B) and avoid being classified as the cats' legal owner.
Stanislaus County Cat Licensing and Feral-Cat Rules
Few RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.54.070
A cat owner may voluntarily obtain a license for their cat. If the cat owner voluntarily purchases a cat license, then the cat owner shall be eligible to receive a voucher for the spay/neuter identification program operated by SASA.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Stanislaus County requires a litter permit from the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency before any dog or cat may breed, part of a scheme the board of supervisors adopted to curb pet overpopulation. Unaltered dogs pay a higher annual license fee that funds public spay/neuter programs, and unpermitted breeding draws escalating fines up to $500.
Stanislaus County Litter Permit and Spay-Neuter Rule
Some RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.54.030 (Litter Permit)
No person shall cause or allow any dog or cat owned, harbored or kept within the county of Stanislaus to breed without first obtaining a litter permit. The term "litter permit" means a written authorization, issued annually by the animal services executive director, or the director's designee, giving its lawful holder permission to breed a dog or a cat. ... SASA shall administer an animal litte...
Microchipping
Every dog and cat adopted from the county shelter must be microchipped by SASA before leaving. Reclaimed pets that show up at the shelter without a current license or other permanent ID get chipped too, and any animal identified as a prior "bite dog" or "bite cat" is chipped regardless of license status.
Stanislaus County Pet Microchipping Requirements
Some RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.32.170; § 7.32.180
All dogs and cats adopted from the animal shelter shall be implanted, prior to the animal leaving the animal shelter, with a microchip provided by SASA. The microchip identification number shall be maintained on file at the animal shelter for identification purposes. Any dog or cat impounded under authority of this chapter, which has no current license or any other visible means of permanent id...
Pet Store Rules
Stanislaus County doesn't ban retail pet sales: Section 7.54.050 only bars selling, bartering, or giving away an unaltered dog or cat under six months old in a public place, streets, parks, flea markets, carnivals, without a litter permit, and it expressly exempts permitted pet stores that sell or transfer dogs and cats inside the store.
Stanislaus County Pet Store Sale Rules
Light RestrictionsStanislaus County Code § 7.54.050 (Sale, Adoption and Other Transfers of Dogs and Cats)
Any person who offers or provides, whether for compensation or otherwise, any dog or cat for sale or other type of transfer, shall disclose to the transferee information regarding the dog license and permit requirements of the county of Stanislaus applicable to the transferred animal. ... No person shall present any unaltered dog or cat under six months of age for sale, barter, exchange, or ado...
Animal Ordinances by City in Stanislaus County
1 cities in Stanislaus County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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