City of Santa Cruz Animal Ordinances*

8.14.010 Dog License required: Dogs shall be licensed within thirty days of obtaining the age of four months or within thirty days of acquistion by owner, whichever occurs later.

8.14.020 Licenses: (a) License tags shall be securely displayed upon dogs at all times except when the dog is confined to the owner's premises. (b) A license is not transferable to another dog.

8.14.040 Vaccination Requirements: Every owner of any dog over the age of four months shall, at intervals specified by the California State Department of Health Services, procure the vaccination of said dog by a licensed veterinarian with an approved anti-rabies vaccine.

8.14.199 Dogs prohibited on the UCSC Campus: It is unlawful for any person having ownership, custody or control of any dog to cause, suffer or permit such dog to be anywhere on the campus of the University of California at Santa Cruz, whether with or without a leash. "Campus" includes all land owned by the University of California at Santa Cruz... including all portions of such land that are occupied by campus facilities and all contiguous, undeveloped portions of such land. (*also see section 55 UC*)

8.14.215 Removal of Dog Droppings Required: Any person owning, having an interest in, harboring, or having charge, control or possession of any dog which defecates on public property, must remove and properly dispose of the feces.

8.14.310 Prohibition Against Permitting Dogs at large: Dogs are not permitted to run at large anywhere in the City of Santa Cruz.

8.14.320 Leash required for Dogs Off Premises: When not on their owners' premises, dogs must be securely restrained by a leash.

8.14.330 Safety of Animals in Motor Vehicles: No person shall carry or transport on any public highway or roadway any dog or animal in a motor vehicle unless the animal is safely enclosed or confined by a container, cage, or other device that will prevent falling or jumping from the motor vehicle.

8.14.340 Safety of Animals in Parked Vehicles: No person shall leave an animal standing in any parked vehicle in such a way as to endanger the animal's health, safety or welfare.

8.14.380 Animals Defecating on Public or Private Property: It is unlawful for any owner to permit any animal to defecate on any public property or improved private property other than that of the owner.

8.14.390 Animal Noises: It is unlawful for any person to keep or harbor any dog, cat, or other animal which by howling, yelping, barking or other disturbing noises disturbs any person.

8.14.400 Prohibition Against Dogs Harassing, Threatening, or Injuring Persons: It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog to suffer or permit the same to annoy and harass, chase, threaten to inflict or inflict injury of any kind to any person.

8.14.410 Prohibition Against Dogs or Other Domestic Animals Killing or Injuring Other Dogs or Other Domesticated Animals: It is unlawful for any owner of a domesticated dog or animal to suffer or permit the same to cause the death of another dog or domesticated animal, except where the animal is acting in self-defense or where the incident occurs on the property of the owner of the offending animal.

8.14.420 Prohibition Against Permitting Livestock or Wild Animals to Trespass or Be At Large: No person owning or having care, custody or control of any livestock to be at large; or to be herded, staked or tied in any public place.

8.14.430 Prohibition Against Dogs Threatening or Injuring Wild game or Livestock: It is unlawful for the owner of any dog to suffer or permit the same, under any circumstances, to chase, threaten to inflict or inflict injury of any kind on
any wild game as defined in Fish and Game Code 3950 or on any kind of domestic livestock.

8.14.440 Unrestrained Vicious Animals: It is unlawful to permit any vicious animal to go unrestrained.

8.14.445 Possession of Wild Animal Species Prohibited: No person shall possess, keep or have care, custody or control of any animal belonging to a "wild species," as defined in Section 2118 of the California Fish and Game Code, anywhere in the city of Santa Cruz.

8.14.590 Duty to Report Animal Bites: Whenever any person has knowledge that an animal has bitten any person, the person having such knowledge shall report this fact forthwith to the County Health Officer or to the Poundmaster (or campus Animal Control Officer).

8.14.600 Quarantine of Dogs and Cats: Whenever there is cause to believe that a dog or cat has bitten a person, or whenever ordered by the Poundmaster, the owner of the animal shall quarantine the animal for a period of ten days.

8.16.030 Mandatory Spaying/Neutering: No person shall own, harbor or keep within the city of Santa Cruz a dog or cat over the age of six months which has not been spayed or neutered unless such person holds an unaltered animal certification for the animal pursuant to Section 8.16.050.

8.16.040 Care of Feral Cats: It shall be unlawful for any person within the city of Santa Cruz to intentionally provide food, water, or other forms of sustenance to a feral cat colony unless the person furnishes the Director of Animal Control with a signed statement agreeing to register with the director as caring for feral cats; regularly feed the cat colony, including weekends and holidays; regularly trap the cats over the age of eight weeks and have them spayed or neutered; arrange to have all cats trapped and tested for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus, and to have those that test positive humanely euthanized or isolated indoors; identify all trapped cats by tipping their ears; and arrange to have all trapped cats vaccinated for rabies in addition or any other vaccination or immunization requirement imposed by the state.

8.18.100 Dead Animals in Public Places: It is unlawful for any person to place the body of any dead animal in any street, park, or public place or in any refuse receptacle.

8.18.120 Injury to Wildlife: No person shall willfully injure, kill, capture or take wildlife within the city limits of the city of Santa Cruz. "Wildlife" includes mammals and birds of any kind which live in the wild, except for rodent pests.

* This is only a brief listing of the most commonly enforced ordinances. For a complete listing of the City's animal ordinances and definitions, see the Santa Cruz City Municipal Code, Title 8, Animals.