ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER I

County of Los Angeles; California (MO); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Los Angeles invites applications for an Animal Control Officer I. Under general supervision, you will patrol assigned areas, capture animals, enforce codes, issue citations, and assist veterinary staff in clinics.

The role requires six months of related experience, a California driver’s license, and ability to work shifts, including emergencies. This is a full-time position with County benefits and competitive pay.

Qualifications

• Six months of full-time paid experience at the level of Animal Care Attendant I in an animal regulatory agency.

Responsibilities

• Patrol assigned geographical area in a light truck observing for violations or respond to incidents.
• Capture domestic and wild animals using equipment; may chase, climb fences or crawl under houses.
• Inspect animal facilities to ensure conformance to laws; explain violations and need for correction.
• Issue citations, licenses, warnings and/or legal notices; enforce licensing laws.
• Assist a Registered Veterinary Technician by prepping and restraining animals for vaccination or euthanasia.
• Present departmentally prepared educational programs at schools and civic meetings; tours or demonstrations.
• Testify in court as to facts related to violations of animal control laws, as needed.

Skills

Animal care experience

Job description

Vision

An innovative animal care and control agency with state-of-the-art facilities providing animals and residents high quality, effective, and caring service.

JOIN OUR TEAM AS AN ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER I!

As an Animal Control Officer I you will, under general supervision, enforce State, County and City codes and ordinances governing animal control including the care and treatment, impounding, quarantine, licensing vaccination, and regulation of a variety of animals.

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL

The County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control is one of the largest and most progressive animal control agencies in the United States. Our seven animal care centers serve over 3 million residents across 45 contract cities and unincorporated areas. We cover a diverse area of more than 3,400 square miles, providing 24/7 animal control and rescue services.

Essential Job Functions

What you will do:

• Patrol an assign geographical area in a light truck observing for violations or respond to incidents.
• Capture both domestic and wild animals, using equipment and methods appropriate for animal abatement and control; may require chasing, climbing fences and crawling under houses.
• Inspect animal facilities to ensure conformance to laws; explain violations and need for correction of such things as poor sanitary conditions, inadequate food and over-crowded conditions.
• Issue citations, licenses, warnings and/or legal notices; enforce licensing laws.
• Assist a Registered Veterinary Technician by prepping and restraining animals for vaccination or euthanasia.
• Assist a veterinarian in a spay and neuter clinic or during euthanasia, as needed.
• Serve as office information officer and radio dispatcher; receive in-person and telephone requests for information and animal control services from citizens and public agencies and dispatch officers to routine incidents, as needed.
• Report to a field command post established to provide extended hours of animal containment, capture and relocation in emergencies such as brush fires, floods or animals loose on public thoroughfares, as needed.
• Testify in court as to facts related to violations of animal control laws, as needed.
• Present departmentally prepared and approved educational programs including tours, lectures, slides and demonstrations at schools and civic meetings, as needed.
• Pick up small dead animals manually and large animals such as horses or cows, using a truck-driven winch and harness, as needed.
• Provide assistance in office operations or in kennels, as needed.

Requirements

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS: Six months of full-time paid experience at the level of Animal Care Attendant I* in an animal regulatory agency.

Other Requirements

Possession of certification indicating successful completion of a department-sponsored training program per California Penal Code Section 832** is required within six months of appointment as a condition of completing probationary status.

Special Requirement Information

• Experience at the level of Animal Care Attendant I refers to training and practical experience in the care of impounded animals; the maintenance and operation of an animal shelter; and enforcement of State, County and City codes and ordinances governing animal control. Performing assigned duties in support for maintaining the various facilities of an animal shelter in a clean, groomed and sanitary condition. They also learn the habits and behavior of various animals, and the methods, procedures, equipment and materials used in receiving, restraining, feeding, caring for, releasing, grooming or dispatching animals.
• If candidates possess a copy of a P.C. 832 Certificate – (Penal Code Section 830.9 required training in order to issue citations and service warrants for Animal Control Officers) prior to being hired, candidates need to inform the hiring department and present a copy at the time of appointment.

Out-of-class work experience in the service of the County of Los Angeles will not be accepted for this examination.

License

A valid California Class C Driver License ; and a valid California Class B Driver License may be required. The required license MUST be current and unrestricted; conditional, provisional, probationary or restricted license will not be accepted. Successful applicants for positions that require driving must obtain a copy of his/her driving record from the California State Department of Motor Vehicles before final appointment. Applicants should not present a copy of their driving history until asked to do so by the hiring department. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether an applicant’s driving history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job. License must not be currently suspended, restricted or revoked. Physical Class Physical Class IV - Arduous: This class involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working above ground on irregular surfaces. It includes those positions that occasionally demand extraordinary physical activity such as those in Safety positions.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT: This is a noncompetitive examination. This examination is intended to merely qualify applicants. Applicants will be placed on an eligible register without indication of relative standing in the examination.

What To Expect Next/ Eligibility Information

• Applications will be processed on an "as received" basis and promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.
• There is no score group since this will be Non-Competitive
• The appointing power may appoint any one of the names on the appropriate list, except a person without Veteran’s credit may not be appointed if there are three or more names on the list of persons entitled to Veteran’s credit.
• The names of candidates who qualify will be added to the eligible register for a period of twelve months from the date of promulgation.
• No person may compete in this examination more than once every twelve months.

Vacancy Information

The eligible register from this examination will be used to fill vacancies within the Department of Animal Care and Control.

Special Information

Appointees may be required to work any shift including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Note: All notifications including invitation letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. DO NOT select "off" under Email Preferences within your profile or click "unsubscribe" on our notices if you would like the County of Los Angeles to notify you regarding your application status, test schedules, and other important information pertaining to your candidacy for this position. Please add [e-mail], [e-mail] , and [e-mail] to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI)

The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Social Security Number

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

No sharing of User ID and Password

All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member’s or friend’s user ID and password may erase a candidate’s original application record.

Special Accommodations

If you require an accommodation to fairly participate in any part of the hiring process, let us know by contacting the Testing Accommodations Coordinator at [e-mail] . You will be required to complete the Request for Reasonable Accommodation form (Download PDF reader) as well as provide supporting documentation from a qualified professional justifying the requested accommodation(s). The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can respond to your request and keep you moving through the process.

Department Contact Name

Sandra Perez

Department Contact Phone

[phone]

Department Contact Email

[e-mail]

California Relay Services Phone

[phone]

Teletype Phone

[phone]

Type of Recruitment

Open Competitive Job Opportunity

Exam Number

O2979R

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES Employment Information

Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below. This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process of the County of Los Angeles. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement

The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/ .

Testing Accommodations For Applicants

The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/ .

Fair Chance

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

Employment Eligibility

Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.

Career PathFinder

Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov .

Veteran’s Credit

Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.

For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf

Revised September 2025