The California Civil Code, Chapter 2, Section 1942.7 states a person or corporation that occupies, owns, manages, or provides services in connection with any real property, including the individual’s or corporation’s agents or successors in interest, and that allows an animal on the premises, shall not do any of the following:
Animal Declawing or Devocalization
- Advertise, through any means, the availability of real property for occupancy in a manner designed to discourage application for occupancy of that real property because an applicant’s animal has not been declawed or devocalized.
- Refuse to allow the occupancy of any real property, refuse to negotiate the occupancy of any real property, or otherwise make unavailable or deny to any other person the occupancy of any real property because of that person’s refusal to declaw or devocalize any animal.
- Require any tenant or occupant of real property to declaw or devocalize any animal allowed on the premises.
Damages for Landlord Noncompliance
A city attorney, district attorney, or other law enforcement prosecutorial entity has standing to enforce this section and may sue for declaratory relief or injunctive relief for a violation of this section, and to enforce the following civil penalties:
- A violation to advertise a requirement to declaw or devocalize shall result in a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) per advertisement, to be paid to the entity that is authorized to bring the action under this section.
- A violation to refuse occupancy or require declawing or devocalization shall result in a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) per animal, to be paid to the entity that is authorized to bring the action under this section.
Note: “Animal” means any mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian, “Declawing” means to remove or to prevent the normal function of an animal’s claw or claws, and “Devocalization” means to remove or to prevent the normal function of an animal’s vocal chords.
Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 596, Sec. 2. (SB 1229) Effective January 1, 2013.
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