Animal Services
Santa Clara County Animal Services provides shelter care, field response, pet licensing, adoption, and other animal programs. This article explains which areas the County serves, how to report an animal issue or search for a lost pet, and what to prepare for licensing, veterinary services, or a visit to the shelter.
Which Areas the County Serves
The County of Santa Clara Animal Services website describes two different service areas. Animal Services provides its full range of services to unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. It also provides sheltering services to Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and Sunnyvale. That distinction matters: a person who lives in one of those cities should not assume the County handles every animal control or licensing matter at that address.
The County’s Field Services Division handles animal control in unincorporated areas, including the Stanford campus. Its officers respond to calls involving roaming domestic animals, animal bites, dangerous dog complaints, and suspected abuse or neglect. The shelter in San Martin handles lost-pet searches, adoption, and other shelter services within its stated service area. Individual programs have their own eligibility rules, so check the relevant service before submitting a request or bringing in an animal.
Animal Issues and Field Response
The County’s animal issue reporting page identifies the matters its officers can assist with. They pick up lost or displaced domestic animals and injured or sick domestic animals. They patrol for stray, roaming, or aggressive domestic animals and investigate animal bites, dangerous dog complaints, and animal abuse or neglect, including cases involving livestock and exotic animals.
Field officers also assist with injured wildlife. They pick up deceased animals within County jurisdiction and on all expressways within Santa Clara County. For a deceased animal elsewhere, the location matters; the County’s description does not say its officers handle every road or property in every city.
Details to Gather Before Reporting
A clear report helps staff identify the animal and the location. Be ready to describe where you saw the animal, what it looks like, what it was doing, and whether it appears injured, sick, aggressive, or in immediate danger. For a bite, dangerous dog concern, or suspected neglect, explain what you observed rather than relying on a general description such as “problem animal.” If the animal has moved, give the last location and direction you saw it travel.
Field Services says its officers are available seven days a week and operate from its San Martin field office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For a nonemergency concern or inquiry, callers may leave a detailed voicemail, which the office says it monitors regularly. The County directs people to call 911 for immediate assistance with an emergency after regular office hours, on holidays, or during weekends.
Wildlife and Domestic Animals
The type of animal affects where to direct a concern. County animal officers assist with injured wildlife, while the animal issue page directs nuisance wildlife concerns to County Vector Control. When describing a wildlife problem, explain whether an animal appears injured or whether the concern is its presence or activity. The Field Services page treats those situations separately.
Domestic animals found roaming, sick, or injured fall within the field duties described above when the location is in the County’s field service area. An animal seen inside a city may fall under a different animal control jurisdiction even if the County shelter provides that city’s sheltering services.
A Missing Pet Search
The County’s lost-pet guidance recommends searching both online and in person at shelters serving your area and nearby areas. A pet can cross a service boundary, and the shelter that receives it may not be the one closest to your home. The County’s lost-pet listings update every hour, but technical problems can prevent a found animal from appearing online. An online search alone is therefore insufficient.
Visit area shelters frequently and complete a lost-pet report when you visit. Bring photos if possible. The County recommends a physical visit every day until you are reunited with your pet; if that is not possible, it says a visit every three days can help keep you from missing an animal that arrives at the shelter. It holds pets for a minimum of three days before making them available for adoption. Prompt, repeated checks matter because that holding period is limited.
Identification and Contact Details
If your pet has a microchip, contact the microchip company to confirm that the chip is registered and your contact information is current. Do not assume that the person or organization that implanted the chip completed registration. Check the contact details held by your pet licensing agency and veterinarian as well. Tags can fall off or become unreadable, and the County cautions that a scanner occasionally may not read a chip.
Keep an eye on email and answer calls while your pet is missing. A person who finds the animal may try to reach you only once. The County also recommends visible signs with a photo in the neighborhood or area where the pet disappeared. Expand the search when needed: a pet may travel farther than expected or be taken to another area by someone who found it. If a shelter listing looks like your pet, contact that shelter immediately.
Adopting From the San Martin Shelter
The County pet adoption page directs prospective adopters to visit the adoption center during open hours. No appointment or pre-application is required. The center is open noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; it is closed on County holidays. The County displays dogs, cats, and other pets through its adoption information, so reviewing the available animals can help you plan a visit.
Published adoption fees are $110 for dogs five months or older and $120 for puppies four months or younger. Cats five months or older are $90, and kittens four months or younger are $100. The page adds $10 for a cardboard carrier for a cat or kitten and recommends bringing your own. The stated fees include spay or neuter surgery, microchip implantation and registration, age-appropriate vaccinations, and flea and worm treatment.
Adoption is a shelter transaction, separate from a lost-pet claim or an owner’s request to surrender an animal. If you are searching for your own missing pet, follow the lost-pet process and speak with shelter staff about the animal you believe is yours.
Pet Licenses in Unincorporated Areas
Dogs and cats in unincorporated Santa Clara County are required to be licensed. The County pet licensing page says applicants need a rabies vaccination certificate from a veterinarian. To receive the reduced fee for a spayed or neutered pet, provide a certificate of alteration unless the rabies certificate already states the animal’s status.
Residents age 65 or older may qualify for a senior fee exemption. The application must include the owner’s age, such as through a driver’s license or birth certificate. The animal must be spayed or neutered, and only one exemption is allowed per residence. The published fees are $17 for an altered dog and $34 for an unaltered dog; for cats, they are $12 and $24, respectively. The stated senior exemption fee is $0.
Online, Mail, and In-Person Licensing
For a new license or renewal, an unincorporated-area resident can enter an address in the “Pet licensing” section of the County page to locate pet license information or determine the licensing jurisdiction. Entering the address first helps avoid sending a city resident’s application to the County program.
People who prefer mail can print and complete the Animal License Application Form identified on the licensing page and mail it to a listed licensing location. The page also offers an in-person option and identifies locations in San Martin and San Jose. Gather the vaccination and alteration documents, and any senior exemption documentation, before submitting the application.
Spay and Neuter Appointments
The County offers spay and neuter services on a limited basis to residents of unincorporated Santa Clara County, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and Sunnyvale. This program for pets is distinct from the free clinic process for unowned, free-roaming cats. The listed service cost includes a microchip unless one is detected during scanning, rabies vaccination for dogs and cats at least three months old, and the applicable DA2PP dog or FVRCP cat vaccination.
The published prices are $130 for a friendly pet cat’s spay or neuter, $265 for a male dog’s neuter, $395 for a female dog’s spay at 25 pounds or under, and $665 for a female dog’s spay over 25 pounds. Rabbit spay or neuter is listed at $395. The County says fee waivers are available to recipients of CalFresh, SNAP, Medi-Cal, Medicaid, WIC, CalWORKS, or SSI.
Preparing a Clinic Request
The request form asks for the owner’s address and contact information, along with the pet’s type, sex, name, age, breed, approximate weight, and any known health conditions. It also asks about receipt of the listed assistance programs. The pet must be ready to be scheduled when the request is submitted. Appointments are scheduled on weekday mornings at the clinic in San Martin and are offered a few days before the procedure.
Choose the request that matches your animal. The $130 pet-cat service is described as being for friendly pet cats. An unowned outdoor community cat is handled through the separate free-roaming cat program, with different intake requirements.
Free-Roaming Cats and Kittens
The County’s free-roaming cat page explains that its shelter does not house healthy free-roaming cats. A cat appearing in a neighborhood may live nearby, even when it approaches people for food. The County says sick or injured cats are the cats that need to come to its center for help. Finding a healthy outdoor cat, finding kittens, and seeking care for an injured cat are therefore different situations.
For unowned, free-roaming cats from its service area, the shelter clinic offers free spay or neuter on Tuesdays and Thursdays, excluding County holidays. Drop-off is at 7:30 a.m. No appointment is required, but space is limited, and the limit is one cat per person or property on each clinic service day. The County accepts cats for this program from residents of unincorporated Santa Clara County, San Martin, Stanford, Morgan Hill, Sunnyvale, and Gilroy. Be prepared to show proof of residency.
Each cat must arrive in a standard-size humane cat trap. The program includes microchipping, FVRCP vaccination, rabies vaccination for cats three months or older, and an ear-tip indicating the cat has been neutered; the County states there are no exceptions to the ear-tip requirement. Do not bring a sick or injured cat for this spay or neuter clinic.
If you find kittens outdoors, pause before moving them solely because they appear to be alone. The County’s kitten information asks finders to review its guidance before bringing kittens to the shelter. If an animal appears sick or injured, describe that condition when contacting Animal Services so staff can direct the concern appropriately.
Rehoming a Pet or Fostering Kittens
Owners who can no longer keep a pet should review the County’s rehoming and surrender information and contact the shelter in advance. Staff ask about the pet and the reason for surrender. If bringing the animal to the shelter is the last alternative, staff schedule a time to meet the pet and gather information that can help them seek a new home. Do not treat surrender as an unscheduled drop-off.
The shelter accepts surrendered pets from unincorporated areas and from Gilroy, Sunnyvale, and Morgan Hill as space allows. It states that it does not accept owner-relinquished cats, German shepherds, or huskies. Its request form asks about the animal’s age, breed or type, medical conditions, medication, care needs, behavior, interactions with people and animals, bite history, and reason for surrender. Having accurate answers ready will help staff assess the request.
The County also has a kitten foster program. Foster homes care for underage kittens until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered and adopted; the foster page describes this as generally around six to eight weeks of age, depending on a kitten’s health and shelter space. After registration, volunteers are added to an email list for alerts about kittens needing care and instructions for responding when they are interested in a kitten or litter. Fostering is a separate process from adopting a pet for permanent ownership.
Relevant Departments and Offices
Animal Services — 12425 Monterey Road, San Martin, CA 95046 — (408) 686-3900
Field Services — 12425 Monterey Road, San Martin, CA 95046 — (408) 201-0660
CEPA Animal Services — 1553 Berger Drive, 2nd Floor, San Jose, CA 95112
Animal Services FAQs
I found a friendly cat outside. Should I take it to the shelter?
A friendly cat may have a home nearby, even if it approaches you for food. The County says its shelter does not house healthy free-roaming cats. If the cat appears sick or injured, that is a different situation: the County says those cats should come to the center for help. Read the County’s guidance on free-roaming cats before deciding what to do.
Can I use the free cat clinic for my own pet?
No. The free clinic is for unowned, free-roaming cats from the County’s specified service area. It requires a standard-size humane cat trap and includes an ear-tip; the County makes no exception to that marking. If you own a friendly pet cat, use the separate pet spay and neuter request. That service has its own eligibility rules and fee.
What happens after I sign up to foster kittens?
Successful registration adds you to an email list. The shelter sends alerts when kittens need foster care, along with instructions for responding if you are interested in a particular kitten or litter. Registration does not mean kittens are assigned immediately. Review the County’s foster care page for the sign-up process.
Can I surrender my cat if I can no longer keep it?
The County says it does not accept owner-relinquished cats. That rule is separate from its guidance for a sick or injured cat found outdoors. If you are trying to place your own cat in a new home, review the County’s rehoming guidance before making plans to bring the cat to the shelter.