Palm Desert Municipal Code Ch. 6.28 Offenses

No owner or keeper of a dog shall allow, permit or suffer the dog, whether licensed or unlicensed, to be or run at large in or upon any public place or premises, or in or upon any unenclosed private place or premises, or in or upon any enclosed private place or premises other than those of the owner or keeper except with the consent of the person in charge of the private place or premises, unless the dog is securely restrained by a substantial leash not exceeding six feet in length and is in charge and control of a person competent to keep the dog under effective control.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

A. No person owning, keeping, or having in his or her care or custody any dog shall knowingly fail, refuse or neglect to clean up any feces of the dog immediately and dispose of it in a sanitary manner whenever the dog has defecated upon public or private property without the consent of the public or private owner or person in lawful possession or charge of the property.

B. The provisions of subsection A of this section shall not apply to a visually impaired person being accompanied by a guide dog or signal dog, nor shall they be construed to require or countenance any act of trespass upon private property. Whenever the feces to be cleaned up cannot be reached without a significant trespass upon the private property on which the feces is located, the person having the duty pursuant to subsection A of this section to clean it up shall first obtain consent to do so from the owner or person in lawful possession or charge of the property.

C. No person owning, keeping, or having in his or her care or custody, any dog shall knowingly fail, refuse, or neglect to clean up any feces from their property, owned or rented, no less than twice a week and disposed of in an air-tight container. Such container(s) shall be removed from the property no less than once a week.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

No person shall, without the knowledge or consent of the owner, hold or retain possession of any dog of which he or she is not the owner, for more than twenty-four hours without first reporting the possession of the dog to the animal control officer, giving his or her name and address and a true description of the dog and then causing the dog to be impounded at the city animal shelter for return to the legal owner. At the discretion of the animal control officer, any such finder of a dog may be allowed to retain possession of the dog in lieu of impoundment. In such case, the animal control officer shall make all normal and regular efforts to ascertain the true owner of the dog and advise him of the whereabouts of the dog.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

No person shall remove any impounded animal from the city animal shelter without the consent of the animal control officer.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

No person shall bring any dog, except a seeing eye dog, guide dog, signal dog, and service dog onto any public school property. This section shall not, however, be deemed to prohibit the use of dogs on school property for teaching or other school uses when approved by the proper school authorities.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

No person shall willfully or maliciously torture, torment, beat, kick, strike, mutilate, injure, disable or kill any dog used by the police department, or any other law enforcement officer in the performance of the functions or duties of such department, or interfere with or meddle with any such dog while being used by the department or any member thereof in the performance of any of the functions or duties of the department or of the officer or member.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

It is unlawful for any person to keep or harbor more than four animals of any combination on residential premises. This does not include kittens under the age of three months or puppies under the age of four months.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

Backyard breeding is hereby prohibited. No person shall breed, sell, transfer, or otherwise give away any dog, or any part of a litter of dogs, that has been bred or reared on a property zoned for residential use.

(Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

No person shall, in the incorporated area of the city, offer for sale or sell or give away or transfer for adoption any cat, kitten, dog, or puppy on any public street, public sidewalk, public park, or private property. This section does not apply to adoptions by licensed humane societies, rescues, or shelters (Health & Safety Code § 122350).

(Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

No person shall own or harbor any dog for the purpose of dog fighting; nor train, torment, badger, bait or use a dog for the purpose of causing or encouraging said dog to unprovoked attacks on human beings or domestic animals. Nor shall any person outfit any dog with a training device for fighting or attack, such as a weighted collar around the neck of the dog. (See also § 6.20.070.C.)

(Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, or harbor livestock or fowl, including but not limited to, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, poultry (including chickens, roosters, turkeys, or other fowl), horses, or donkeys, within the city. The keeping of any animal other than a common household pet, such as a dog or cat, is prohibited.

(Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

It is unlawful for any person to neglect, abandon, or cruelly treat any animal in violation of Penal Code §§ 597, 597.1, 597a, 597.7, or 597s. Owners must provide adequate food, water, shelter, veterinary care, and sanitation. Animals may not be transported in an inhumane manner or left in unattended vehicles under conditions endangering their health (e.g., extreme heat or cold). Animal control officers may seize neglected animals and provide emergency care, with owners liable for costs.

(Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

It is unlawful to tether a dog or other animal to a stationary object for more than three hours in a 24-hour period, or in a manner that causes injury, entanglement, or restricts access to food, water, or shelter. Tethers must be at least 10 feet long and allow free movement without risk of strangulation.

(Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

The city encourages humane management of feral cats through TNR programs. Authorized rescuers or organizations may trap, sterilize, vaccinate, and return feral cats to their original location, provided they comply with rabies vaccination requirements and do not create nuisances.

(Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

The introduction, ownership, possession or maintenance of any animal, or the allowing of any animal to be, in contravention of this title, is, in addition to being a violation, declared to be a public nuisance. The city manager or his or her designee, the animal control officer, the county health officer, and peace officers are authorized, directed and empowered to summarily abate any such public nuisance independently of any criminal prosecution or the results thereof of any means reasonably necessary including, but not limited to, the euthanasia of the animal or animals involved, or by the imposition of specific reasonable conditions and restrictions for the maintenance of the animal. Failure to comply with such conditions and restrictions of this title is an infraction. The owner shall reimburse the city for all costs incurred in verifying compliance and enforcing the provisions of this section. The city may also commence proceedings in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 8.20 of this code relative to abatement procedures for public nuisances.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

Any person violating the provisions of the section of this chapter shall be guilty of an infraction and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by:

A. A fine not exceeding $50 for the first violation;

B. A fine not exceeding $100 for the second violation within one year;

C. A fine not exceeding $200 for each additional violation within one year.

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; repealed by Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)

(Ord. 874 § 1, 1998; repealed by Ord. 1437, 12/11/2025)