California Pets for Vets: No Adoption Fee at Public Shelters

Every California public animal shelter must waive the adoption fee for a dog or cat when the adopter shows a driver licence or ID card marked VETERAN. A shelter may limit it to one dog and one cat every six months.

Also called: Pets for Vets Act, SB 245, animal shelter, adoption fee, dog, cat, 30505, 31751.4.

For: Veteran or service member.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

CaliforniaState

The Pets for Vets Act, Senate Bill 245 (Stats. 2019, ch. 205), in force since January 1, 2020, added Food and Agricultural Code sections 30505 and 30524.5 for dogs and 31751.4 and 31764.5 for cats. Each says a public animal shelter "shall not charge an adoption fee" when the adopter presents a current, valid California driver licence or identification card with the word VETERAN printed on it under Vehicle Code section 12811. It is a duty, not an option. Some county shelters describe the act as allowing or authorising participating shelters to waive the fee; the sections bind every public shelter. What a shelter may do is limit the free adoptions to one dog, and one cat, every six months. The proof is the licence designation and nothing else: no rating, no discharge characterisation beyond what the DMV required to print VETERAN. Other charges a shelter makes, such as a licence fee, are not adoption fees.

Thresholds

Thresholds for California Pets for Vets: No Adoption Fee at Public Shelters
Gate	Rule
VETERAN on a California licence or ID	The only test is a California driver licence or ID card marked VETERAN. No rating is needed.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-01.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.