Galt Municipal Code Ch. 6.04 Animal Care, Custody, and Control

All animal owners shall at all times ensure that their animals have adequate food and water, proper, clean, and sanitary shelter, protection from the weather and veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering, and ensure the humane care and treatment of all such animals at all times. No person shall beat, cruelly ill-treat, torment, tease, overload, overwork, or otherwise abuse an animal, nor cause, instigate, or permit any dogfight, cockfight, or combat between animals or animals and humans, excluding Police dogs, within the City, nor shall any parent allow or permit his or her minor child to so treat any animal.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

Except as otherwise expressly authorized by state or federal law, no person shall have, keep, or maintain any wild animals within the City.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

A. No person shall own or harbor more than four (4) dogs and four (4) cats, over the age of four (4) months, at or in any one (1) dwelling unit, as defined by the City's Zoning Code, or at or in any other single industrial or commercial establishment within the City. This limitation shall not apply to duly licensed and lawfully operating business or commercial operations engaged in the sale or care of animals including, but not limited to, pet stores, animal breeders, kennels, catteries, animal shelters, animal care facilities, animal hospitals/clinics, or veterinarians; provided, however, that nothing herein shall relieve such business or commercial operations from complying with all applicable local, state, or federal laws concerning the operation of those businesses or commercial operations.

B. No person shall own, harbor or have more than one (1) litter of puppies during any twelve (12) month period within a single household, except in a licensed business and where permitted pursuant to the City Zoning Code.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

A. Except in a designated dog park, no person shall allow or permit his or her dog to be or remain at large within the corporate limits of the City on any public street, road, alley, park, square, school, or other public place or upon any private property other than the property of the owner or custodian of such dog without the consent of the owner of such property.

B. No person owning or having the care, custody, control or possession of any dog shall allow or permit such dog to be at large beyond the boundaries of the property upon which such dog is kept.

C. An animal services officer may seize and impound any dog found running at large, and, except as otherwise set forth herein, such animals will be impounded at the Sacramento County Animal Shelter or other animal shelter designated by the City.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

Except for service dogs, dogs used by law enforcement personnel or other dogs as permitted by state or federal law, no person shall allow, permit or take any animal, whether loose, on leash or in arms, into any restaurant, grocery store, or food establishment in the City.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

A. No person owning or harboring any animal shall permit or allow the animal to make loud or disturbing noises without provocation so as to constitute a nuisance, including, but not limited to, continuous and incessant noise, chronic howling, yowling, barking, whining, or other utterances.

B.

"Continuous and incessant noise"

means producing noise for an aggregate period of ten (10) minutes or more duration during any one (1) hour period which disturbs the peace of another person; provided, that at the time of the noise, no person was trespassing or threatening to trespass upon the private property of the owner or person in custody or control of the animal, or the animal was not being teased or provoked in any manner.

C. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to apply to reasonable animal noises emanating from legally operated veterinary hospitals, humane societies, animal shelters, farm or agricultural facilities, or areas where keeping of farm animals is permitted.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

A. Every person keeping any animal shall at all times keep cages, coops, kennels, runs, or other enclosures wherein such animal is kept in a clean and sanitary condition, and shall remove animal waste material therefrom at least every day, or more often as is necessary so as not to become a nuisance to any person in the neighborhood. This section is not intended to apply to the open back yard areas of the owner's residence.

B. No person shall at any time maintain any premises, or any portion thereof, in the City, upon which any animal is kept in an unsanitary condition. No person shall maintain any such premises, or portion thereof, upon which any animal is kept, in such condition as to cause the same to be infested with flies or insects or to create any noxious or offensive odors. Animal waste or fecal matter shall be collected and placed in an airtight bag or other container and removed from the property within seven (7) days.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

A. It is unlawful for the owner or any person having custody of any dog, cat or other animal to fail to immediately remove and dispose of any feces deposited by the animal on either public property or on private property not under the control of such person. Disposal shall be by placing the feces in a closed or sealed container and depositing the container in a trash receptacle.

B. This section shall not apply to a physically disabled person who has custody or control of a service dog.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

A. Unless expressly permitted by this Code, no hooved animals or other livestock shall be kept or maintained in the City.

B. Unless expressly permitted by this Code, no turkeys, geese, chickens, roosters, ducks, pigeons, or other fowl, except for hen chickens, shall be kept or maintained in the City.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016; Ord. 2016-08, Amended, 09/06/2016; Ord. 2025-07, Amended, 05/20/2025)

No person shall feed or care for community or abandoned cats, unless such person complies with the following provisions:

A. Registers (at no charge) with the Sacramento chapter of the Society for Prevention for Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) as a caretaker for abandoned cats or community cats;

B. Regularly feeds or arranges for the feeding of the community cat colony, including on weekends and holidays;

C. Traps or makes a reasonable effort to trap all abandoned or community cats over the age of eight (8) weeks in his/her care, and has them spayed or neutered;

D. Has all trapped cats tested for feline leukemia and has those who test positive humanely euthanized or isolated indoors;

E. Identifies abandoned or community cats that have been spayed or neutered by means of ear notching, ear tipping, or ear tagging;

F. Has all trapped cats vaccinated according to state and local laws.

(Ord. 2015-10, Repealed and Replaced, 01/19/2016)

A. Keeping a pigeon, meaning a bird of the order Columbae, is permitted in the City so long as done in conformity with the conditions of this section, the City Municipal Code, and state and federal law and regulations. Violation of this section is subject to administrative, civil, and criminal penalty at the discretion of the City.

B. A pigeon must be kept for the sole purpose of training and using the bird as a homing or racing pigeon, meaning trained to return home from a distance. A pigeon may not be kept for any other purpose, including, but not limited to, breeding. The owner of the pigeon must have valid registration and membership to an established racing or homing pigeon organization and provide proof of such upon request from a City agent.

C. No more than ten (10) pigeons may be kept on a single parcel. Pigeons must be kept in an enclosure at all times except when being actively trained or used for homing or racing. Training or using pigeons may only occur between eight a.m. and eight p.m.

D. All pigeons must be kept in an enclosure designed, built, and maintained of sufficient size, materials, insulation, and character so as to not constitute a nuisance and to protect the birds, property, property habitants, neighbors, and community. Such enclosure may not be less than thirty (30) feet from any property line. All pigeon food must be kept indoors and secured to prohibit access by any rodent, insect, or other vermin. All pigeon feces must be cleared from the enclosure at least once a week. No noise, odor, debris, feces, unsanitary condition, or other nuisance condition may emanate from the enclosure or underlying property to an extent it may or does impact other properties.

E. Pigeons must be kept in a hygienic and humane manner in accordance with all laws and regulations related to the keeping of animals including as they relate to veterinary care, vaccination, exercise, and humane disposal. Veterinary records shall be kept up to date and provided to a City agent at any time upon request.

F. The City Manager, or designee, is authorized to enforce the provisions of this section in an administrative, civil, or criminal matter up to and including removing and disposing of pigeons.

(Ord. 2025-07, Added, 05/20/2025)