Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control Amendments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Mateo introduces animal control amendments to align with county code, adds 'animal fanciers' permit
Summary
The council introduced an ordinance to reinstate animal‑control provisions and add a new "animal fanciers" permit allowing up to 10 dogs or cats at a premise with conditions; staff said the changes restore provisions that were inadvertently repealed and will keep the city consistent with county code; council approved introduction 5‑0.
The San Mateo City Council on Oct. 6 introduced an ordinance to amend the San Mateo Municipal Code, restoring several animal‑control provisions and adding a new "animal fanciers" permit to align city rules with the county contract with Peninsula Humane Society.
Lieutenant Glenn Texara of the San Mateo Police Department, who presented the item, said the city contracts with Peninsula Humane Society through San Mateo County and is required to maintain an ordinance consistent with county code. "What we are looking to do tonight, is to have those sections added back into the San Mateo Municipal Code to maintain uniformity with the county," Texara said. He described reinstating provisions relating to spay and neuter requirements, breeding permits, limits on the number of animals a household may keep, sale and adoption rules, revocation of permits, fee provisions and enforcement responsibilities.
Texara said staff was proposing a new chapter, proposed section 8.34, to create an "animal fanciers" permit that would allow up to 10 cats or dogs per premise for qualifying owners (for example, competitive or show animals) provided they meet sanitation and housing conditions and allow inspections; the city’s default limit without the permit would remain five animals. "This would all be consistent with the current county code and something that we would be looking to add," Texara said. Adoption of the ordinance was scheduled for Oct. 20 with an effective date of Nov. 20, according to Texara.
The council opened the item for public comment. Seema Patel, who identified herself as a planning commissioner speaking for herself, asked whether the ordinance should address hunting or falconry after a social‑media report of a falconer taking ducklings in a Bay Meadows pond. "I don't know if that is governed at the county level or with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife," Patel said, and asked whether hunting rules should be included. In response, staff and council members noted that hunting and related permits (including falconry) are governed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and that there are no city zones where hunting is allowed.
After council questions clarifying boarding, fancier permits and enforcement, a council motion to introduce the ordinance passed on a roll‑call vote, 5‑0. Council members said the changes are intended to correct inadvertent omissions from a 2024 update and to maintain consistency with county code so the county can enforce animal‑control provisions when appropriate.
Staff will return to council on Oct. 20 for formal adoption of the ordinance, as scheduled.
