County of Santa Cruz Animal Ordinances*

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

6.08.015 Display of Tags - License Nontransferable: 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.

6.10.030 Mandatory Spaying/Neutering: No person shall own, harbor or keep within the unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County, 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 issued pursuant to Section 6.10.050.

6.10.040 Care of Feral Cats: It shall be unlawful for any person within the county 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.

6.10.050 Unaltered Animal Certification; administration: The director of animal control services shall administer a certification program to allow for unaltered animals over the age of six months when certain conditions are met. (Refer Santa Cruz County Code for full text version).

6.12.010 Prohibition Against Permitting Dogs at large: Dogs may not be permitted to run at large anywhere in the County of Santa Cruz.

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

6.12.030 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.

6.12.040 Safety of Animals in Parked Vehicles: No person shall leave an animal in any standing or parked vehicle in such a way as to endanger the animal's health, safety or welfare. An animal control officer, state humane officer, or police or safety officer is authorized to use reasonable force to remove the animal from the vehicle whenever it appears that the animal's health, safety or welfare is or will be endangered.

6.12.080 Animal Defecation Prohibited: It is unlawful for the owner of any animal to allow or permit such animal to defecate on any public property or improved private property, other than that of the owner. It is the responsibility of the animal's owner to properly dispose of any solid waste resulting from an act in violation of this section.

6.12.090 Animal Noises: It is unlawful for any person to keep or harbor any dog, cat, or other animal... which by habitual howling, yelping, barking or other noise unreasonably disturbs or annoys any person with ordinary sensitivities.

6.12.100 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.

6.12.110 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 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.

6.12.120 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.

6.12.130 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.

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

6.04.090 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 director of animal control services.

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

* This is only a brief listing of the more commonly enforced ordinances. For a complete listing of the County's animal ordinances and definitions, see the Santa Cruz County Code, Vol. I, Title 6, Animals.