LA County Code Title 10 Animal Ordinance Now Available in Spanish and Mandarin

The County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) is pleased to announce that Los Angeles County Code Title 10 is now available in Spanish and Mandarin. Title 10 is the section of the County’s ordinance regarding animals.

“An important element of enforcing laws is ensuring the public is aware of the law,” said DACC Director Marcia Mayeda. ” Los Angeles County is home to 1.4 million people whose primary language is Spanish, and more than 200,000 residents whose primary language is Chinese, predominantly Mandarin. We want Title 10 to be accessible to these important communities.”

This isn’t the first time DACC has improved knowledge and understanding of the requirements in Title 10. In 2016, DACC and the Office of County Counsel completed an extensive overhaul of Title 10, . using plain language to eliminate confusing and unnecessary legal jargon and make Title 10 more understandable for residents. Title 10 was reduced in length by 30 percent with the application of plain language principles, and DACC and the Office of County Counsel received the Plain Language Initiative award from the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission for this achievement.

Updates to Title 10 during the past 20 years include implementing an animal facility letter grading system like the system used to grade restaurants so pet owners have a better awareness of a facility’s compliance with the law; requiring that all dogs and cats be spayed or neutered and microchipped; a very strong commercial animal breeding ordinance; improvements to better identify and manage potentially dangerous and vicious dogs; the use of administrative citations and hearings to expedite enforcement actions; a vastly improved animal noise ordinance; and a strong ordinance regarding the keeping of roosters.

“We are proud of our efforts to maintain Title 10 as a model animal control ordinance,” said Mayeda. “Laws reflecting modern standards of animal care and responsiveness to community needs keep residents aware of their legal responsibilities and ensure safer communities for people and animals. Making these laws available in other languages further helps maintain an informed community.”

For more information about Title 10, click here.