California Rabies Vaccine Law: Schedule, Exemptions, and Penalties

Under California’s rabies vaccine law, every dog must be vaccinated against rabies by three months of age, boostered one year later, and revaccinated at least every three years after that by a licensed veterinarian.¹²³

Which Animals the Law Covers

The statewide mandate applies to dogs only. Health and Safety Code Section 121690 requires every dog owner to have their dog vaccinated once the dog reaches three months of age.¹

Cats and ferrets are not covered by state law, but many cities and counties fill that gap with their own ordinances. In Los Angeles County alone, dozens of cities require rabies vaccination and licensing for cats, including Long Beach, Inglewood, Pomona, and all unincorporated areas.⁴ If you own a cat or ferret, check with your local animal control before assuming you’re in the clear.

The Vaccination Schedule

Three dates matter:⁵

The first dose at three months or older, using an approved canine rabies vaccine.
A booster 12 months after that first dose.
Revaccination at least every 36 months for the rest of the dog’s life.

A licensed veterinarian must administer the vaccine or supervise the person who does. Private clinics typically charge $20 to $60 per dose, and many counties run low-cost vaccination clinics authorized under Section 121690 that come in well below that.

The Certificate and the License

After vaccination, your veterinarian issues an official Rabies Vaccination Certificate. It has to include the owner’s name, address, and phone number; a description of the dog covering breed, color, age, and sex; the date of immunization; the type of vaccine; and the manufacturer’s name and lot number.⁵ Keep it. You’ll need it every time you license or relicense your dog.

Section 121690 requires a dog license after your dog turns four months old, renewed at least every two years.¹ No local agency will issue a license without a current vaccination certificate, and the license period cannot extend past the date the next revaccination is due, so the two timelines stay locked together.⁵ Once issued, the license tag has to stay on the dog’s collar or harness. Annual fees vary by jurisdiction, roughly $8 to $65, with a discount for spayed or neutered dogs in most places.

Medical Exemptions

California allows a narrow medical exemption when vaccination would genuinely endanger the dog. A licensed veterinarian must find, in writing and each year, that the vaccine would put the dog’s life at risk because of disease or a documented medical condition.¹ You then file an exemption application with your local health authority that includes the vet’s statement and your own signed statement accepting liability.

An approved exemption lasts one year and must be renewed annually. Even with the exemption in hand, the law treats the dog as unvaccinated, which brings real restrictions:⁶

The dog stays confined to your property or on a leash no longer than six feet, controlled by an adult, when off it.
The dog cannot live with or contact other animals that aren’t vaccinated.
Only one exempt dog per household.
If the dog is exposed to a wild animal, it faces the full 180-day quarantine that applies to any unvaccinated dog.

If Your Dog Bites Someone

A bite on a person triggers a 10-day observation period, and this applies whether or not the dog is currently vaccinated.³ The dog is held in strict confinement and checked daily. If a dog was shedding rabies virus at the moment of the bite, clinical signs will appear within those 10 days; a healthy dog at day 10 means the person wasn’t exposed to rabies.

There’s one exception. If the local health officer decides the bite carries unusually high risk — an unprovoked attack, a facial bite, or severe deep-tissue damage — the dog can be euthanized immediately and tested at a public health laboratory instead of observed.³

If Wildlife Bites Your Dog

This is where vaccination status changes everything. When a dog is exposed to a confirmed or suspected rabid wild animal, California follows two very different protocols.

A currently vaccinated dog gets an immediate booster and 30 days of strict isolation.⁷

An unvaccinated dog should be euthanized, according to state guidelines. If the owner refuses, the alternative is immediate vaccination followed by 180 days — six months — of strict isolation, meaning no contact with other animals or the public for the whole period, at the owner’s expense.³ The state especially recommends euthanasia for unvaccinated puppies, who are more susceptible to infection. The gap between a one-month booster-and-watch and a six-month lockdown or euthanasia is the single most concrete reason to keep the shots current.

Fines and Criminal Penalties

Failing to vaccinate or license a dog is an infraction under Section 121630, with fines up to $1,000.² Cities and counties can add their own penalties on top of that.

Penalties climb sharply once a bite or exposure is in the picture. Willfully hiding the location or ownership of a biting animal to prevent quarantine is a misdemeanor.⁸ Violating a quarantine or isolation order carries up to a year in county jail, a fine of $100 to $1,000 for each day of the violation, or both.⁹ A week of ignoring a quarantine can run to $7,000 before any court costs or criminal exposure.

Bringing a Dog Into California

Rabies is the only vaccine California requires for entry. Any dog over four months of age needs a signed, dated rabies vaccination certificate from a licensed veterinarian. The state imposes no post-vaccination waiting period at the border, though your destination county or city may. Dogs changing hands in California, including sales, also need a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection completed no more than 10 days before arrival; starting January 1, 2026, those certificates must also be sent to the California Department of Food and Agriculture Animal Health Branch.¹⁰

1
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 121690
2
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 121630
3
California Department of Public Health. California Compendium of Rabies Control and Prevention
4
Los Angeles County Public Health. Cat Rabies Vaccination and Licensing Requirements
5
Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 17 2606.4 – Officially Declared Rabies Areas
6
Los Angeles County Public Health. Canine Rabies Vaccination Exemption
7
California Department of Public Health. California Compendium of Rabies Control and Prevention
8
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 121705
9
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 121710
10
CDPH. Pet Dog and Cat Importation and Exportation