10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Tulare County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Tulare County's animal control code (Chapter 4-7) treats fowl and common farm animals as livestock and domestic animals rather than banning them. The main duty is containment: under Section 4-07-5100, owners must keep livestock from straying off their property. Zoning rules also apply by district.
Tulare County Ordinance Code § 4-07-5100
The Owner or Custodian of any Livestock or Equine that are found at large on any public or private property other than the Owners, without permission of the property Owner shall be guilty of an infraction. In addition to other penalties imposed, the Owner or Custodian ... is liable for the salaries, costs, and other expenses incurred by Animal Services in restraining, capturing, or rescuing suc...
In unincorporated Tulare County, a dog off its owner's property must be on a leash no longer than eight feet, per Ordinance Code Section 4-07-5000. Limited exceptions cover law-enforcement work, training and competition, herding livestock, lawful hunting, and designated leash-free areas.
Tulare County's animal code does not ban or single out any dog breed. Instead, Section 4-07-6000 regulates dogs by behavior, classifying animals as "Potentially Dangerous" or "Vicious" based on conduct. There is no breed-specific legislation for unincorporated Tulare County.
Tulare County Ordinance Code § 4-07-6000
'Potentially Dangerous Animal' means any animal which behaves in such a manner that the owner or custodian thereof knows or should know that the animal poses a threat to public safety; any animal which because of its size, training, behavior, physical nature, or vicious propensity would threaten public safety were it not controlled as prescribed in this chapter ...
Beekeeping in Tulare County is regulated through apiary law, not the animal control code. Under California Food and Agricultural Code Sections 29040 onward, anyone keeping bees must register with the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner, which administers registration through the statewide BeeWhere program.
Tulare County's code defines "Exotic Animal" and "Wild Animal" by reference to California Fish and Game Code Sections 2116 and 2118, leaving exotic and wild species to state law and CDFW permitting. Common reptiles such as snakes, iguanas, and turtles are recognized as keepable pets.
Tulare County's animal control code does not contain a general wildlife-feeding ban. The controlling rule is California state regulation: Title 14, Section 251.3 of the California Code of Regulations prohibits knowingly feeding big-game mammals such as deer, enforced by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Tulare County Ordinance Code Section 4-07-5100 makes it an infraction to let livestock or equine animals stray off the owner's property, with exceptions for supervised movement along roads, lawfully fenced consenting property, and designated open range. Owners are liable for the county's capture costs.
Tulare County does not use the word "hoarding," but it controls animal overcrowding through enforceable limits: a four-adult-dog cap without a kennel permit (Section 4-07-4005), kennel and minimum-care standards, and dangerous-animal and humane-care provisions, backed by California's animal-cruelty laws.
Under Tulare County Ordinance Code Section 4-07-4005, the maximum number of adult dogs allowed on any lot without a kennel permit is four. Keeping five to twenty-five adult dogs requires a kennel permit. The code sets no specific numeric limit on cats.
Tulare County Ordinance Code § 4-07-4005
The maximum number of Adult Dogs allowed on any Lot or Premises for any length of time without a kennel permit is four (4). ... The maximum number of adult dogs allowed under a Commercial or non-Commercial, Kennel Permit shall be based on ... the Special Use Permit issued by the County's Resource Management Agency and the minimum kennel standards requirements ..., but in no case shall be more t...
Tulare County's animal control code regulates cats lightly. Chapter 4-7 defines "Cat" and addresses feral animals but imposes no county cat license, no per-household cat limit, and no leash or at-large rule for cats. Spay/neuter and general care provisions still apply.
2 cities in Tulare County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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