Animal Services provides a multitude of services to Orange County citizens. Animal Services officers make up the Road Operations section that responds to citizen requests for service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Please go to the above link to find out more about Orange County code and what the officers can and can't do.
The officers enforce Orange County Code, Chapter 5 - Animals. County Codes are civil infractions, not criminal offenses, such as misdemeanors or felonies. This means that pet owners are not arrested and do not serve jail sentences for violations of the County Code. However, violators can be given fines to pay via citations.
Try talking to your neighbor first to resolve the situation prior to reporting a problem to Animal Services; healthy neighborhood relations are extremely important to everyone in your community. If open communication doesn't work, you may report a non-emergency animal problem by using our interactive Complaint Form. Or if you are experiencing an ongoing nuisance situation with a neighbor's pet, please print and complete the Statement Form (PDF - 90 KB), and mail it to us. This form is used for violations that you directly witnessed. Be sure to explain what took place, stating facts, not opinions.
Citizens often ask Animal Services to remove animals from the community and from other peoples' yards. Animal Services may impound animals that are at large or constituting a nuisance on the complainant's property. Animal Services is not able by law, to simply enter someone's private property and remove his or her pet.
Animals are considered property and people have the right to own an animal unless directed differently by a judge, as a result of conviction in court. If an animal is impounded while at large, and the owner is located, Animal Services may return the animal to the owner along with the appropriate action (warning, citation, etc.).
Nobody likes to see animals starve or become the victims of tragedy. The natural reaction of most folks is to provide some type of care, usually food, for our wayward friends. However, sometimes the sheer number of stray friends living in our yards can be overwhelming. If you're faced with a situation like this and now have too many cats or dogs at your home, or maybe there's only one that you simply can't allow to stay, Animal Services can help you. Please consider the following:
- Approximately how many animals do you normally see?
- Are they on your property, or roaming loose in the neighborhood?
- Are the animals owned, or are they strays?
- Do they appear friendly, or do they stand off, not wanting to be touched?
Caution: Stray animals cannot be handled, as they're simply too scared. If you suspect that, please don't attempt to pet or pick them up. Animal Services can provide a humane box cage trap to remove the animal(s).
Community & Environmental Services 
