Beaumont, California

• Spaying and neutering is mandatory for dogs and cats over the age of 4 months. Exemptions are provided for animals whose health would be endangered by the procedure and for animals owned by city-licensed breeders. The former must be confirmed with a written statement by a licensed California veterinarian.
• Owners with unaltered animals may only be cited if they are in violation of another state or local law that concerns possession of a dog or cat.

6.02.080 Mandatory Spay and Neutering. No person shall own, keep, or harbor an unaltered dog or cat in violation of this Section. An owner or custodian of an unaltered dog must have the dog spayed or neutered, or provide a certificate of sterility, or obtain an unaltered dog license in accordance with this Title. An owner or custodian of an unaltered cat must have the animal spayed or neutered, or provide a certificate of sterility.

Penalties issued for failure to spay or neuter a dog or cat shall be enforced as set forth below:

a. An administrative citation, infraction, or other such authorized penalty may be issued to an owner or custodian of an unaltered dog or cat for a violation of this section only when the owner or custodian is concurrently cited for another violation under state or local law pertaining to the obligations of a person owning or possessing a dog or cat. Examples of such state law or local violations include, but are not limited to, the following: failure to possess a current canine rabies vaccination of the subject dog; dog or cat at large; failure to license a dog; leash law violations; kennel or cattery permit violations; tethering violations; unhealthy or unsanitary conditions; failure to provide adequate care for the subject dog or cat in violation of the Penal Code; rabies quarantine violations for the subject dog; operating a business without a license and/or lack of State Tax ID Number; fighting dog activity in violation of Penal Code section 597.5; animals left unattended in motor vehicles; potentially dangerous, dangerous or vicious animals; and noisy animals.

b. Should the owner or custodian of an unaltered dog or cat be found in violation of a state or local law, as stated above, in subsection (1), the owner or custodian shall be required to spay or neuter the unaltered animal in accordance with this section. (Ord. 960, 10/20/09; Section 1)

6.02.090 Mandatory Spay and Neutering-Exemptions. This section shall not apply to any of the following:

a. A dog with a high likelihood of suffering serious bodily harm or death if spayed or neutered, due to age or infirmity. The owner or custodian must obtain written confirmation of this fact from a California licensed Veterinarian. If the dog is able to be safely spayed or neutered at a later date, that date must be stated in the written confirmation; should this date be later than thirty (30) days, the owner or custodian must apply for an unaltered dog license.

b. A cat with a high likelihood of suffering serious bodily harm or death if spayed or neutered, due to age or infirmity. The owner or custodian must obtain written confirmation of this fact from a California licensed Veterinarian. If the cat is able to be safely spayed or neutered at a later date; that date must be stated in the written confirmation.

c. Animals owned by city-licensed dog or cat breeders. (Ord. 960, 10/20/09; Section 1)