a. 
There is established a Department of Animal Care Services. The Department of Animal Care Services shall be responsible for the regulation of, and the enforcement of, laws dealing with animals existing within the unincorporated territory of the County and incorporated areas thereof which may, from time to time, contract with the County for such services.
b. 
There is established within the Department of Animal Care Services the position of Director of Animal Care Services. The Director of Animal Care Services shall be head of the Department of Animal Care Services and in that capacity shall, subject to the control and direction of the County Executive or his designee, carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Department of Animal Care Services and shall supervise and direct the work of the staff assigned to the Department.
c. 
The Director of Animal Care Services shall be appointed by the County Executive subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors. The Director of Animal Care Services shall be subject to removal by the County Executive.
d. 
Any reference in this or any other County ordinance to "Animal Control," "Animal Control Division" or "Department of Animal Control" shall be considered a reference to the "Department of Animal Care Services." Any reference in this or any other County ordinance to "Chief of Animal Control" or "Director of Animal Control" shall be considered a reference to the "Director of Animal Care Services."
(SCC 0877 § 1, 1992; SCC 0999 § 1, 1995; SCC 1706 § 3, 2022)
When used in this title, the words defined in this chapter shall have the meanings prescribed in this chapter.
(Ord. 1053 § 1, 1969; SCC 304 § 1, 1977; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Animal" means any members of the kingdom Animalia exclusive of homo sapiens.
(Ord. 1053 § 2, 1969; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Animal Control," "Animal Control Division," "Department of Animal Control" or "Department of Animal Care Services" means the Department of Animal Care Services which is established as the regulatory agency for rabies and control of animals in the County.
(Ord. 1053 § 3, 1969; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0877 § 2, 1992; SCC 0895 § 9, 1992; SCC 0999 § 2, 1995; SCC 1706 § 4, 2022)
"Animal Control Center" or "Animal Shelter" means the facilities provided by the County for the impoundment, relinquishment, quarantine, and adoption or sale of animals.
(Ord. 1053 § 4, 1969; SCC 304 § 2, 1977; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0999 § 3, 1995)
"Animal facility" means any establishment operated pursuant to a General Business License for profit, exclusive of a licensed veterinary medical facility, in or at which five or more dogs four months of age or older or five or more cats six months of age or older are kept, harbored, or maintained.
(Ord. 1053 § 5, 1969; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0895 § 1, 1992; SCC 0892 § 2, 1992)
"At large" means an animal off the premises of its owner and either: (a) not under the control and in the immediate presence of the owner; or (b) if a dog or a cat, not under physical restraint.
(Ord. 1053 § 7, 1969; SCC 304 § 4, 1977; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Cattery" means any enclosure, premises, building, structure, lot or area in or on which five or more cats of at least six months of age are kept, harbored, or maintained.
(Ord. 1053 § 8, 1969; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0895 § 2, 1992; SCC 0892 § 4, 1992)
"Commercial establishment" means a place where commodities are exchanged, bought or sold, including but not limited to pet stores or other commercial businesses selling animals.
(SCC 1356 § 2, 2007)
"Department" means the Sacramento County Department of Animal Care Services.
(SCC 1356 § 3, 2007; SCC 1706 § 5, 2022)
"Director," "Director of Animal Care Services," or "Chief of Animal Care Services" means the administrative head of the County Department of Animal Care Services and his or her duly authorized deputies.
(Ord. 1053 § 13, 1969; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 1356 § 4, 2007; SCC 1706 § 6, 2022)
"Domestic animal" means dogs and cats, except as limited in Section 8.04.280 herein, as well as horses, donkeys, mules, burros, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, llamas, camels, rabbits and fowl commonly kept or raised in the County as farm or livestock animals.
(Ord. 1053 § 14, 1969; SCC 531 § 1, 1983; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Farm" means any land zoned AR10, AG20, AG40, AG 80, or AG160 and used for agriculture purposes.
(SCC 0958 § 1, 1994)
"Farm cat" means any cat residing on a farm or ranch as defined herein whose presence is for the purpose of rodent control on such farm or ranch as identified under Sections 8.04.144 and 8.04.235 and whose ownership cannot be determined based on the definition contained in Section 8.40.220 of this title.
(SCC 0958 § 2, 1994)
Except as modified by section 8.04.153, "feral animal" means any domestic animal which is known to live in a wild or semi-wild state without benefit of an owner or any domestic animal which has escaped for a substantial period of time from the care of its owner and is existing in a wild state without benefit of domestication.
(SCC 509 § 1, 1982; SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 1356 § 5, 2007)
"Feral cat" means a cat which is known to live in a wild or semi-wild state without benefit of an owner or a cat which has escaped for a substantial period of time from the care of its owner and is existing in a wild state without benefit of domestication.
(SCC 1356 § 6, 2007)
"Health Officer" means the Director of the Health Department of the County of Sacramento or other person duly authorized by the Director of the Health Department or designated by the Board of Supervisors to act as the Health Officer.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
For the purposes of this title, "hearing" means the process prescribed in Chapter 8.36 herein for the redress of issues relating to or arising from the enforcement of this title including, but not limited to, dangerous and vicious animals, animal nuisances, permits, or such other administrative matters as pertain to the application of this title.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Hearing Officer" means the person appointed by the Director to preside at and render judgments from hearings transacted under the authority of this title. The person may be an employee of the County who is not assigned to Animal Control or otherwise subordinate to the Chief thereof, or a person who is not an employee but is retained to provide such services. Any such Hearing Officer shall be qualified by training or experience or shall be an attorney or an administrative law judge.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Impoundment" means the taking up and confining of an animal by the Chief of Animal Control in accordance with the provisions of this title or other applicable law or regulation.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Kennel" means any enclosure, premises, building, structure, lot or area in or on which five or more dogs of at least four months of age are kept, harbored or maintained.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0895 § 3, 1992; SCC 0892 § 8, 1992)
"Kennel/cattery" means a kennel or a cattery or a kennel and a cattery.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0882 § 9, 1992; SCC 0895 § 4, 1992)
"Owner" means the primary or responsible person who: (1) possesses, has title to, an interest in, harbors, controls or has custody of an animal; and (2) feeds or otherwise provides care or sustenance to the animal for 30 consecutive days or more on property located within the unincorporated territory of the County.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0958 § 3, 1994; SCC 1356 § 7, 2007)
"Person" means fictional entities such as corporations, estates, associations, partnerships and trusts, as well as one or more individual human beings or responsible members of a familial household.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Ranch" means any land zoned AR10, AG20, AG40, AG80 or AG160 and used for agriculture purposes.
(SCC 0958 § 4, 1994)
"Vaccination" means the inoculation of an animal with a vaccine approved by and in the manner prescribed by the State of California Department of Health Services.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Veterinarian" means a person licensed by the State of California to practice veterinary medicine.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Veterinary facilities" means all premises where veterinary medicine, veterinary dentistry, veterinary surgery, and the various branches thereof is being practiced.
(SCC 1356 § 8, 2007)
"Vicious animal" means any animal including a dog (except a dog assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties) which has, on one or more occasions, committed any one or more of the following acts:
1. 
Without provocation inflicted severe injury on or killed a human being.
2. 
In an unprovoked manner killed another domestic animal, as defined in section 8.04.140 of this title, excluding rabbit or fowl, at a place other than upon the private property where the attacking animal is maintained.
3. 
Physically attacked, mauled, or physically injured by biting any person, without provocation, at a place other than upon the private property where the animal is maintained.
4. 
Physically attacked, mauled, or physically injured by biting any person, without provocation, when the owner thereof knows or should reasonably know that the animal poses a threat to public safety and has made no substantial effort to prevent the attack or when the owner has purposefully encouraged or commanded the animal to attack, maul, or physically injure any person.
5. 
Physically attacked, mauled or physically injured by biting any guide dog for the blind, service dog for the disabled or signal (hearing) dog for the deaf, without provocation, at a place other than upon the private property where the attacking animal is maintained.
6. 
Physically attacked, mauled or physically injured by biting any guide dog for the blind, service dog for the disabled or signal (hearing) dog for the deaf, without provocation, when the owner of the attacking animal knows or should know that the animal poses a threat to public safety and has made no substantial effort to prevent the attack or when the owner has purposefully encouraged or commanded the animal to attack, maul or physically injure any guide dog for the blind, service dog for the disabled or signal (hearing) dog for the deaf.
7. 
Any animal previously determined to be and currently listed as a dangerous animal which, after its owner or keeper has been notified of this determination, continues the behavior described in Section 8.04.265.
For purposes of this section, provocation does not include the acts of a person attempting to prevent an animal from physically attacking, mauling, or physically injuring by biting another person or animal.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990; SCC 0892 § 10, 1992; SCC 1180 § 1, 2001)
"Dangerous Animal" means any animal including a dog (except a dog assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties) which, when unprovoked, on two separate occasions within the prior 12 month period, has killed, severely bitten, inflicted injury or otherwise caused injury attacking a domestic animal off the private property of the owner or keeper of the offending animal. For purposes of this section, at least one of the occasions must have caused severe injury, as defined in Section 8.04.275. Nothing in this section shall prevent an animal which commits an offense described in section 8.04.260 from being determined vicious.
(SCC 1180 § 2, 2001)
"Severe injury" means any physical injury to a human being or animal that results in muscle tears or disfiguring lacerations or requires multiple sutures or corrective or cosmetic surgery.
(SCC 1180 § 3, 2001)
"Wild animal" means any of the following:
1. 
Following members of the Class Reptilia: Order Ophidia (such as, but not limited to, racers, boas, water snakes and pythons) over eight feet in length; and
Order Loricata (such as, but not limited to, alligators, caymans and crocodiles) over three feet in length;
Order Sauria (excepting iguanas) over three feet in length.
2. 
Following members of the Class Aves: Order Falconiformes (such as, but not limited to, hawks, eagles and vultures which are not kept pursuant to federal or state permit); and Subdivision Ratitae (such as, but not limited to, ostriches, rheas, cassowaries, emus)
3. 
Following members of the Class Mammalia: Order Carnivora, expressly excepting the domestic dog (canis familiaris) and the domestic cat (felis catus), but including, but not limited to, the family Felidae (such as ocelots, margays, tigers, jaguars, leopards and cougars), the family canidae (such as wolves, dingos, coyotes and jackals); and order Marsupialia (such as kangaroos and opossums), and order Chiroptera (bats); and order Edentata (such as sloths, anteaters and armadillos); and order Proboscidea (elephants); and order Primata (including, but not limited to, monkeys, chimpanzees and gorillas); and order Ungulata (expressly excluding any animal which would be included within the definition of "domestic animal" in Section 8.04.140), including, but not limited to, antelope, deer and bison.
4. 
Any nondomestic species when kept, maintained or harbored in such numbers or in such a manner as to constitute the likelihood of danger to the animals themselves, to human beings or to the property of human beings.
5. 
Any species of animal which is venomous to human beings whether its venom is transmitted by bite, sting, touch or other means, except honey-producing bees.
6. 
Any hybrid animal which is part wild animal and is capable of transmitting rabies, except livestock hybrids, and for which no rabies prophylaxis is recognized or authorized by the State of California.
(SCC 0815 § 2, 1990)
"Working ranch dog" means a dog that has been trained and is used to herd and/or guard livestock and the dog owner resides on or is the owner of property designated in the Sacramento County Zoning Code for agricultural use.
(SCC 1356 § 9, 2007)