Government Code section 8593.11
(a)
For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:(1)
“Evacuation order” means an order from the Governor, or a county emergency management official, county sheriff, chief of police, or fire marshal, under which persons subject to the order are required to relocate outside of the geographic area covered by the order due to an imminent danger resulting from a state or local emergency.(2)
“Pet” means an animal, including a dog, cat, rabbit, rodent, reptile, amphibian, fish, bird, or other species of animal, kept for the purpose of being a household pet.(b)
Upon the next update of a city’s or county’s emergency plan:(1)
(A)(i)A city or county shall update its emergency plan to designate procedures for the rescue of a pet from an area subject to an evacuation order, subject to approval by the incident commander in coordination with the emergency management authority, that at the time of the evacuation the pet’s owner believed to be alive.(ii)
The procedures shall establish timelines or conditions in which rescues can occur as safely as possible.(B)
A city or county may require a person with a residence in an area subject to an evacuation order or their designated representative to sign a liability waiver releasing the city or county from any liabilities or claims related to the person’s return to the residence in accordance with the procedures required by subparagraph (A).(C)
Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to grant any person the absolute right to reenter an evacuation zone. All reentry shall be subject to incident conditions and approval by the designated incident commander in coordination with the emergency management authority.(2)
A city or county shall update its emergency plan to designate a person or entity for a person with a residence in an area subject to an evacuation order or their designated representative to call if the person is in need of information regarding evacuating pets during an evacuation.(c)
A city or county shall make available to the public by posting on its internet website information, including, but not limited to:(1)
Contact information for the person or entity designated to provide information regarding evacuating pets during an evacuation in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b).(2)
Resources for persons who need assistance reuniting with pets rescued from areas subject to evacuation orders, including a list of animals rescued from the evacuated areas that is linked on the home page of the city’s or county’s internet website.(3)
Multimodal methods of providing information regarding pet rescues and resources specified in paragraph (2).
Source:
Section 8593.11, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=8593.11. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 15, 2025).
