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California · find a service

Find animal shelter services in California

Find animal shelter services.

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In California, 52 county departments, 5 public authorities and 1 city government publish 60 official links for this service. Reviewed requirements cover availability notices (10), documents (3), appointments (2) and eligibility (1). 58 counties have a page for it below.

Before you start · 3 things to check
  • Cities can operate their own shelters or contract with another provider. Check your address and the purpose of your visit.
  • Sheltering, field response and pet licensing can have different service areas. County browse associations do not establish eligibility.
  • Appointments, owner surrender, lost-pet reclaim, adoption and emergency dispatch are distinct services. Read the official provider’s current instructions.

58 guides with reviewed service links · Reviewed local guides

Choose a county on the map

Highlighted counties have a reviewed service guide matching this selection. An agency may serve only a city or part of a county.

California58 counties
California county mapChoose a county to open its directory. Use the county search and list for smaller counties.Alameda County: open directoryAlpine County: open directoryAmador County: open directoryButte County: open directoryCalaveras County: open directoryColusa County: open directoryContra Costa County: open directoryDel Norte County: open directoryEl Dorado County: open directoryFresno County: open directoryGlenn County: open directoryHumboldt County: open directoryImperial County: open directoryInyo County: open directoryKern County: open directoryKings County: open directoryLake County: open directoryLassen County: open directoryLos Angeles County: open directoryMadera County: open directoryMarin County: open directoryMariposa County: open directoryMendocino County: open directoryMerced County: open directoryModoc County: open directoryMono County: open directoryMonterey County: open directoryNapa County: open directoryNevada County: open directoryOrange County: open directoryPlacer County: open directoryPlumas County: open directoryRiverside County: open directorySacramento County: open directorySan Benito County: open directorySan Bernardino County: open directorySan Diego County: open directorySan Francisco County: open directorySan Joaquin County: open directorySan Luis Obispo County: open directorySan Mateo County: open directorySanta Barbara County: open directorySanta Clara County: open directorySanta Cruz County: open directoryShasta County: open directorySierra County: open directorySiskiyou County: open directorySolano County: open directorySonoma County: open directoryStanislaus County: open directorySutter County: open directoryTehama County: open directoryTrinity County: open directoryTulare County: open directoryTuolumne County: open directoryVentura County: open directoryYolo County: open directoryYuba County: open directory
County directory Reviewed service guides available
Map for browsing; agency service areas may differ.
Map source

U.S. Census boundaries via U.S. Atlas · 2017 edition, simplified for display.

Showing 58 guides as a short list. Choose your county or type a city above to see each guide’s instructions, conditions and sources here.

County government · Alpine

Alpine County Sheriff's Office

Animal services

Alpine impounded-animal care & redemption coordination (opens in a new tab)
Alpine Code6.04.230–240 statutory redemption/adoption procedure; no promise of an available animal or local public intake counter

Ask the Sheriff about an impounded animal’s placement, required redemption fees or adoption application. The code does not identify a current public intake facility.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Undated CVET planning report: no local brick-and-mortar shelter; Douglas fire evacuation facilities are historical and not routine public-intake proof

The planning report says Alpine has no brick-and-mortar animal shelter. Its Douglas County Fairgrounds references concern previous fires.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Glenn

Glenn County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with Glenn County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Glenn impound & shelter referral — Tehama Animal Care Center (opens in a new tab)
Glenn County’s published Tehama referral: feral cats excluded; domestic-cat intake is conditional on space

The county says feral cats will not be impounded and domestic cats are taken only when space is available. Contact Tehama Animal Care Center before transport.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Imperial

Imperial County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with Imperial County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Animal shelter services & referral information (opens in a new tab)

Service area: The Animal Care and Control Program (ACCP) serves Imperial County’s unincorporated areas—over 4,000 square miles of towns, desert, and farmland—with 24/7 rescue and control services. Our shelter is full of lovable pets ready for a second chance!

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Kings

Kings County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with Kings County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Animal shelter services & referral information (opens in a new tab)

Service area: Kings County Animal Services – Animal Services division under the Kings County Sheriff’s Office - houses animals from the unincorporated parts of Kings County and Hanford City.  Field Services is responsible for responding to animal calls in the unincorporated areas of the county.  Types of calls Animal Services responds to include bite cases, restraint issues, animals running at large, welfare checks (neglect, cruelty cases, animal abuse).

Full guide, contact details & sources →
Public authority · Marin

Marin General Services Authority — animal care referral

MGSA manages the Marin Humane contract with the County and cities/towns. Marin Humane is the actual care/control provider.

Marin Humane admissions — county/cities provider referral (opens in a new tab)
Existing immutable MGSA evidence establishes the actual county/cities contract provider; the nonprofit remains distinct from the public authority

MGSA manages the Marin Humane animal care/control contract with the county and cities/towns. Marin Humane publishes the admission conditions.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Modoc

Modoc County Animal Control contact & reporting

Current county staff-directory contact and official animal-control complaint portal only; no shelter facility, adoption, pet-license workflow or visit hours is verified.

Modoc animal custody & High Plateau partner referral (opens in a new tab)
County-issued evidence of animal-control custody/partner referral; environmental-health licensing remains a different provider

The Animal Control unit provides service to all areas within Modoc County. The Department of Animal Control is responsible for enforcing county codes regarding compliance with vaccinations and pet licensing within Modoc County. The Animal Control Officer works in conjunction with Modoc's Environmental Health Department which issues pet license. The officer focuses on abandoned, stranded, victimized animals at large in Modoc County. Shelter for these animals makes the community safer, and in many cases provides a loving home through High Plateau Humane Society for the animals that are not claimed. California Food and Agriculture Code Section §31108 requires extended holding periods for stray, feral, and relinquished pets. The law allows more time for animal adoption and the results are subsequently, overcrowding at shelters. Modoc residents can help reduce animal overpopulation by spaying or neutering pets. All animals adopted from shelters must be spayed or neutered. Effective January 1, 2000, the law requires an owner whose animals are impounded to pay fines. Additional fees will be charged if the animals are not spayed or neutered. For the current list of fees please see the Fee Schedule (PDF).

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

County-referred High Plateau surrender & adoption guidance (opens in a new tab)
Actual nonprofit partner limits; no current capacity, adoption guarantee or county-owned shelter asserted

HPHS does not take owner-surrendered dogs. Healthy friendly cats are accepted first-come when possible, with a waiting list when full; owners must care for them until an opening.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · San Bernardino

San Bernardino County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with San Bernardino County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Animal shelter services & referral information (opens in a new tab)

Service area: San Bernardino County Animal Care is an animal welfare agency that operates the Big Bear and Devore Animal Shelters to provide programs and services to all unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County, and the cities of Big Bear Lake, Highland, and Yucaipa. If you live outside of our service areas, please check our list of other animal care agencies that provide service in the County.

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with San Luis Obispo County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Animal shelter services & referral information (opens in a new tab)

Service area: The Animal Services Division is responsible for providing animal care and control services throughout the County of San Luis Obispo and within each of the seven incorporated communities. Animal Services staff serve the community by helping to identify solutions to animal related problems, enforcing local ordinances and state laws relating to animals, providing humane education programs, and performing rabies control and surveillance. The Division also operates the only open-intake animal shelter in the county.

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with Santa Barbara County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Santa Barbara County shelter adoption procedures (opens in a new tab)
County’s explicit changing-inventory warning; no live animals or capacity were collected

Adoption availability can change throughout the day. An animal shown online may already have an interested adopter or may no longer be available when you arrive.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

County's rendered official location page: three facilities and published winter hours; special closures and current capacity require operator confirmation

The county lists Lompoc, Goleta and Santa Maria shelters, with winter hours Tuesday–Sunday10a.m.–5p.m., closed Mondays and holidays. Call before travel.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Santa Barbara owner-to-owner rehoming guidance (opens in a new tab)
County rehoming resources and private-guardian adoption; not physical shelter inventory, guaranteed public intake or a county-set private adoption fee

Try the county's rehoming resources before surrender. Private listings are animals with current guardians; adoption prices are set by those guardians.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Santa Clara

Santa Clara County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with Santa Clara County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Animal shelter services & referral information (opens in a new tab)

Service area: Our mission is to offer shelter and care for homeless domestic and farm animals, reunite lost pets with their families, facilitate pet adoption, and investigate complaints of animal cruelty and neglect in the community to improve the lives of people and animals in the County. We provide all services to the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County and sheltering services to the cities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Sunnyvale. Please join us in our lifesaving mission!

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Shasta

Shasta County Animal Regulations

The Sheriff’s Animal Regulations program serves unincorporated Shasta County. A county-operated animal shelter or dog-license workflow is not established by this page.

Haven Humane shelter surrender restrictions & contact (opens in a new tab)
Haven Humane provider admission limits; not a promise of open intake

General owner-surrender dogs and large animals are not accepted. Cats and small animals have limited space; call about pets adopted from Haven.

Official information checked October 26, 2026 · Details & sources

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Solano

Solano County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with Solano County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Animal shelter services & referral information (opens in a new tab)

Service area: Solano County Animal Care Division is responsible for the care of all stray, injured, abandoned, and unwanted animals for the seven surrounding cities: Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, and Vallejo.

Full guide, contact details & sources →
County government · Ventura

Ventura County animal services

Official animal care/control provider associated with Ventura County for browsing. Service areas can differ between sheltering, field response and licensing; confirm the specific address, species and service with the provider.

Animal shelter services & referral information (opens in a new tab)

Service area: VCAS provides contract services to the residents of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, Ventura, and all unincorporated areas of Ventura County. VCAS is dedicated to improving the lives of the animals in their care, and to safeguard the community through rabies suppression and the sheltering of stray animals.

Full guide, contact details & sources →

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