Domestic rabbits are legal to own in California. There is no state ban on keeping a pet rabbit, and millions of Californians do so without any permit. So the question “are bunnies illegal in California” has a simple headline answer — no — followed by a longer answer about cruelty rules, where you can get one, wild species restrictions, import requirements, and local limits on how many you can keep.
Domestic Breeds Are Fine, Wild Species Are Not
California’s restricted-animal regulation, Title 14, Section 671 of the California Code of Regulations, lists the entire order Lagomorpha — rabbits, hares, and pikas — as restricted, but explicitly exempts domesticated breeds of rabbits and hares.1Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 671 – Importation, Transportation and Possession of Live Restricted Animals A Holland Lop or Mini Rex is legal. A wild cottontail, jackrabbit, or European wild rabbit is not.
Fish and Game Code 2118 reinforces the point: importing, transporting, or possessing a wild rabbit or hare species requires a revocable permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.2California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 2118 Getting caught with a wild rabbit and no permit can lead to confiscation, fines, and criminal charges.
If you find an injured wild rabbit, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Keeping one “temporarily” without authorization still violates state law.
Where You Can Get a Pet Rabbit
This one surprises people: California pet stores cannot sell rabbits. Since January 1, 2019, Health and Safety Code 122354.5 has prohibited pet stores from selling dogs, cats, or rabbits. Stores can only provide space for animals displayed by public animal shelters or approved rescue organizations.3California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 122354.5 Any rabbit you see at a California pet store came from a shelter or rescue, and the transaction is an adoption, not a sale. Stores that violate the ban face civil penalties of $500 per animal offered or sold in violation.
That leaves shelters, rescues, and private breeders as the legal paths to acquiring a pet rabbit in the state.
Care Obligations You Take On As an Owner
California Penal Code 597 is the main law protecting rabbits from abuse and neglect. It applies to any animal in someone’s care and requires owners to provide adequate food, water, shelter, protection from weather, and veterinary attention when needed.4California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 597 Failing to meet those obligations counts as animal cruelty whether the neglect is intentional or careless.
Cruelty under this statute is a “wobbler,” meaning prosecutors can charge it as a misdemeanor or a felony depending on severity. A misdemeanor conviction carries up to one year in county jail. A felony conviction can bring state prison time and fines as high as $20,000.5LA County Animal Care & Control. What Constitutes Animal Cruelty in California and Los Angeles County The line usually turns on whether the conduct was deliberate versus neglectful, though repeated or egregious neglect can still be charged as a felony.
How Many Rabbits You Can Keep
State law doesn’t cap the number of rabbits you can keep, but your city or county almost certainly does. Residential ordinances typically limit households to somewhere between two and four pet rabbits, though limits vary widely. Some jurisdictions use aggregate caps that count rabbits alongside dogs, cats, and other small animals toward a single total. Agricultural zones generally allow larger numbers.
These caps often apply only to rabbits over a certain age, commonly four to six months, so a new litter won’t put you in violation the day the kits are born. Exceeding the limit with adult rabbits, especially if neighbors complain about odor or noise, can lead to citations, fines, and an order to rehome the extras.
Many local codes also regulate enclosures. Outdoor hutches typically need to be sanitary, provide shelter from heat and cold, and be secured against escape and predators. Check your city’s municipal code before building or buying an enclosure, because setback distances, materials, and size requirements vary.
Bringing a Rabbit Into California
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 2 (RHDV2) is highly contagious and often fatal to rabbits, and it has been detected in domestic or wild rabbits across 27 California counties, where the California Department of Food and Agriculture now considers it endemic.6California Department of Food & Agriculture. Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
If you’re bringing a rabbit into California from a state or country where RHDV2 has been diagnosed in the past 12 months, you need a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued within 72 hours of shipping. The CVI must include a veterinarian’s certification that the rabbit is free of communicable diseases, originated from a premises with no signs of disease, had no new rabbits introduced to the premises in the prior 30 days, and had no contact with wild rabbits or hares during that period.7California Department of Food & Agriculture. Animal Importation Frequently Asked Questions No rabbits or rabbit products can enter California from a premises known to be affected by RHDV2.
A vaccine is available but not required. The Medgene Labs RHDV2 vaccine is offered to California veterinarians under a USDA conditional license as a two-dose series, with the second dose given 21 days after the first.6California Department of Food & Agriculture. Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Given how widespread the disease has become, it’s worth discussing with your vet even if you don’t plan to travel with your rabbit.
When Breeding Becomes Regulated
The federal Animal Welfare Act requires a USDA dealer license for anyone breeding and selling pets commercially, including rabbits. Two exemptions keep most small-scale breeders outside the requirement: you’re exempt if you maintain four or fewer breeding females and sell only their offspring born on your premises, or if you earn $500 or less in gross income from animal sales in a calendar year.8Federal Register. Thresholds for De Minimis Activity and Exemptions From Licensing Under the Animal Welfare Act
Once you exceed those thresholds, USDA licensing applies. Licensed breeders must keep detailed records of every rabbit acquired, sold, or disposed of, and facilities are subject to USDA inspection.9Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations California’s Department of Food and Agriculture can also take enforcement action against unlicensed breeding operations that fail to meet welfare standards, including administrative fines and shutdown orders. Because pet stores can’t sell commercially bred rabbits, breeders selling directly to the public need to be especially careful about meeting both state and federal requirements.
Renting With a Rabbit
Landlords in California can restrict or prohibit pets through lease terms, and many do. But if your rabbit qualifies as an assistance animal, one that provides emotional support alleviating a symptom of a disability, the Fair Housing Act requires landlords to grant a reasonable accommodation even if the lease bans pets.10U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Assistance Animals
To qualify, you need a request supported by reliable disability-related information when your disability and need for the animal aren’t obvious. The landlord can deny the request only in narrow circumstances: if the accommodation would impose an undue financial or administrative burden, fundamentally alter the housing provider’s operations, or if the specific animal poses a direct threat to health and safety that can’t be reduced through other means.10U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Assistance Animals Landlords also cannot charge pet deposits or pet fees for a legitimate assistance animal. A rabbit sitting quietly in an indoor enclosure is a hard animal for a landlord to argue poses a direct threat.
Don’t Abandon a Rabbit
Dumping a rabbit in a park or on the side of a road is a misdemeanor under Penal Code 597s.11California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 597s It happens constantly anyway, with spikes after Easter when impulse purchases turn into unwanted pets. Domestic rabbits released outdoors rarely survive more than a few days. They lack the instincts, speed, and camouflage of wild rabbits, and they’re easy prey for hawks, coyotes, and neighborhood dogs.
If you find a stray rabbit, bring it to a municipal animal shelter or contact an authorized rescue organization. If you can no longer keep your own rabbit, the same options apply. Most rescues require spaying or neutering before adoption because rabbits reproduce so quickly.
Penalties at a Glance
Consequences for violating California’s rabbit-related laws range from minor fines to years in prison:
- Animal cruelty (Penal Code 597): misdemeanor up to one year in county jail; felony brings state prison time and fines up to $20,000.5LA County Animal Care & Control. What Constitutes Animal Cruelty in California and Los Angeles County
- Abandonment (Penal Code 597s): misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 and possible jail time.11California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 597s
- Possessing restricted wild species (Fish and Game Code 2118): confiscation, fines, and potential criminal prosecution.2California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 2118
- Illegal pet store sales (Health and Safety Code 122354.5): civil penalties of $500 per animal sold or offered in violation.3California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 122354.5
- Zoning violations: citations and fines from local code enforcement, with repeat offenders potentially ordered to remove excess animals.
- RHDV2 import violations: enforcement action by the CDFA, including quarantine or confiscation.
Most rabbit owners will never encounter any of these penalties. The ones who do tend to be the ones who assumed the rules didn’t apply to “just a rabbit.”