Rescue/Protection/Control
Relevant Resources
Filing a Complaint
IMPORTANT! If you have a life-threatening situation involving both humans and animals, call 911. If you or your pet have been victims of a bite, attack or other aggressive behavior from another animal, call our dispatcher at 831-454-7303 extension 1. Reports of dangerous or menacing animals will be investigated by our officers. Do not use the online complaint form for dangerous situations that require immediate attention.
Our Animal Control Officers are available 7 days per week. The complaint process for the most frequently reported non-emergency problems is described below:
1. Communicate with the pet owner
Let the pet owners know that the animal was loose and created a problem. Sometimes pet owners are not aware of this. Try to work out a mutually agreeable solution in a neighborly manner.
2. Submit a complaint
Call the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter at 831-454-7303 extension 1 or CLICK HERE TO FILE AN ONLINE COMPLAINT. With a first complaint, the pet owners will be notified and advised to take appropriate steps to prevent a second incident.
3. If the violation continues
If the violation occurs again, please call the Shelter. Animal Control staff will advise you of your options. Further enforcement action requires a Witness Statement (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR ANIMAL CONTROL WITNESS STATEMENT), and you will need to come into the Shelter to sign a declaration. Be thorough, accurate and honest in your Witness Statement; you are signing this document under penalty of perjury.
If six months has lapsed between complaints, the process will be treated as a first complaint.
Please be advised Santa Cruz County Code 6.12.090 requires that all noisy animal complaints must be made in writing, signed under penalty of perjury, and must include the name, address, and telephone number of the complainant(s), as well as the address of the animal owner and a description of the noise, including the date(s) and approximate times of the excessive noise. Please come to the Animal Shelter at 1001 Rodriguez Street between 12PM and 5PM any day of the week to file your complaint.
6.12.090 Excessive animal noise.
(A) Prohibition. It is unlawful for an owner of an animal to allow the animal to emit any excessive noise after the Department has issued a written notice of an excessive noise complaint. For purposes of this section, the term “excessive noise” means a noise that is unreasonably annoying, disturbing, or offensive to a person with ordinary sensibilities, or which unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property. Livestock guardian dogs actively working to protect their flock are exempt from this section.
(B) Complaints. All complaints to the Department regarding violations of subsection (A) must be made in writing, signed under penalty of perjury, and must include the name, address, and telephone number of the complainant(s), as well as the address of the animal owner and a description of the noise, including the date(s) and approximate times of the excessive noise.
(C) Violations. Notwithstanding other provisions of this code, the following penalties apply to violations of this section:
(1) First violation. The Department will issue a written notice to the owner of the animal advising of the noise complaint after it receives a verifiable written complaint. The notice will order the owner to abate the excessive noise within 10 days of the notice (“compliance date”).
(2) Second violation. A second violation occurs if the animal’s owner fails to stop the excessive noise by the compliance date. A second violation is an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $100.
(3) Third violation. A third violation occurs if the animal’s owner fails to stop the excessive noise within 10 days after the notice of the second violation is mailed. A third violation is an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $200.
(4) Subsequent violations. Each subsequent violation after the third violation within one year of the original complaint is an additional infraction punishable by a fine of up to $500.
Residents living within Santa Cruz County should expect to live with some level of noise. Traffic, lawn mowers, construction, barking dogs or other animal noises are just a few examples. As residents of any community we endure most of these noises. However, pet noises that are unreasonable can be reported. First you should:
1. Communicate with the pet owner
Let the pet owners know that you are disturbed by the noise. Sometimes owners are not aware their pet is causing a problem.Try to work out a mutually agreeable and reasonable solution in a neighborly manner. Behavior training, changed routines and increased companionship and exercise can sometimes help. Allow a reasonable amount of time for a remedy by the pet owner.
2. If that fails, CLICK HERE TO FILE AN ONLINE COMPLAINT, and we will notify the animal’s owner. The owner has 30 days to abate the nuisance. We recommend you and other affected neighbors keep a log of any further incidents. If there is still a problem after 30 days, we will send a second notice to the animal owner.
3. The Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County offers low-cost mediation that can help people who are in conflict over animal issues to discuss the issue(s) and work together to try to find a solution that everyone can live with. Please contact the CRC at 831.475.6117 or info@crcsantacruz.org or go to their website at www.crcsantacruz.org to learn more.
4. The Santa Cruz County Free Law Library (https://www.sclawlib.org/) can assist in filing a civil action against the animal owner if the noise continues to affect your household.
If you are experiencing property damage caused by a neighbor’s pets, first you should:
1. Communicate with the pet owner about the damage
Let the pet owners know that you are experiencing property damage. Sometimes pet owners are not aware of the problem. Try to work out a mutually agreeable and reasonable solution in a neighborly manner.
2. Submit a complaint
Call the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter at 831-454-7303 extension 1 or CLICK HERE TO FILE AN ONLINE COMPLAINT. An officer will investigate.
3. Preventing future property damage
If you are experiencing property damage by outdoor cats, click to review the information here to help prevent future damage.