Ventura Breed Restrictions Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

The City of Ventura's municipal animal regulations contain no provisions targeting specific dog breeds. This is fully consistent with California state law: Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 explicitly prohibits any city or county from enacting or enforcing an ordinance that declares a specific dog breed — or dogs of any specific breed — to be dangerous or vicious. The preemption prevents Ventura from instituting a pit bull ban, a Rottweiler restriction, or any similar breed-specific measure that singles out a breed for prohibition or heightened regulation based solely on breed characteristics. One narrow exception exists — California Health and Safety Code Section 122331 allows localities to enact breed-specific mandatory spay/neuter ordinances — but the City of Ventura has not adopted any such provision, and all breeds are treated identically under current city and county law.

Instead of breed-based rules, Ventura follows a behavior-based model administered by Ventura County Animal Services, which provides contract animal control services for the city. A dog may be declared potentially dangerous if, on two or more separate occasions within a 36-month period, it has bitten, attacked, or caused physical injury to a person or domestic animal without provocation while off the owner's property, or if it has approached a person in a threatening manner while unprovoked and not confined. A dog may be declared vicious if it has killed or caused severe injury to a person without provocation, or if it was previously declared potentially dangerous and the owner failed to comply with all imposed conditions. These determinations follow a formal investigation and, upon owner request, an administrative hearing before a Ventura County hearing officer. The evaluation framework applies uniformly across all dog breeds — a small mixed-breed terrier is subject to the same behavioral standards as a large working breed.

Owners of dogs declared potentially dangerous or vicious in Ventura must comply with conditions imposed by Ventura County Animal Services. Standard conditions include housing the animal in an escape-proof, locked enclosure when not under the direct control of a responsible adult, posting conspicuous warning signs at all entry points to the property, mandatory spay or neuter of the animal within a specified period, and maintaining a minimum of $100,000 in liability insurance covering bodily injury and property damage caused by the dog. All dogs in Ventura four months of age and older must be licensed through Ventura County Animal Services and must have a current rabies vaccination on file. Contact Ventura County Animal Services at (805) 388-4341 for licensing, dangerous dog proceedings, or general animal control inquiries.