Coyote Information

The City of San Dimas as well as cities throughout the San Gabriel Valley have been experiencing an increase in the number of human/pet-coyote incidents and encounters over the past few years. To address this regional concern, the City adopted a Coyote Management Plan that is based on balancing respect and protection of wildlife without compromising public safety.

The City of San Dimas recently adopted a Coyote Management Plan (more information below) which is based on research and best practices that include tools to respond to coyotes in an urban area. The main strategy is a multi-focused approach consisting of education, enforcement, and a safety response plan. There are various ways to report a coyote encounter, which are listed below.  If you have an emergency regarding this matter, call 911.

Coyote Management Plan

The overall intent of the Coyote Management Plan is to provide guidance for dealing with coyotes in the City. This plan has implemented methods that are supported by professionals and have been utilized by other municipalities in Southern California. This plan does not supersede federal, state, county, and city regulations and policies.

The City of San Dimas Plan is guided by the following principles:

  • Human safety is a priority in managing human-coyote interactions.
  • Coyotes serve an important role in San Gabriel Valley’s ecosystems by helping to control rodent populations.
  • Preventive practices are crucial to minimizing potential interactions and encounters with coyotes.
  • Solutions for coyote conflicts must address both problematic coyote behaviors and the human behaviors that invite them.
  • Regionwide programs that involve residents can improve coexistence among humans, coyotes, and pets.

Coyote Reporting

You may report coyote encounters in the City of San Dimas by calling the Coyote Reporting Service line at (909) 542-2501. You may also email coyotes@sandimasca.gov for more information.

Note: The City uses the Coyote Reporting Service to monitor their activity in the community and to take appropriate action in accordance with the City’s adopted Coyote Management Plan. 

Coyote Cacher

Coyote Cacher is part of a research project with the University of California Cooperative Extension that aims to collect more information on coyote encounters in California.  The information you provide will be used to help inform researchers of trends in human-coyote interactions. If you wish to participate in this survey, please see the survey below to answer some questions. Participation is voluntary.  If you require more information about this process, please contact Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor Dr. Niamh Quinn at nmquinn@ucanr.edu at University of California Cooperative Extension, Orange County.

Use the following button to submit a coyote encounter

coyote-cacher-300x97

Coyote Encounters by Zip Code

If you want to see where encounters are in your neighborhood, please click here for an interactive coyote encounter map.

Sign Up to Receive Alerts!

If you would like to sign up for coyote encounter email alerts for your zip code, please register here on the Coyote Cacher website under Alerts!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Coyote Management Plan?
It is a formal policy and plan that is adopted by the City that outlines how the City will work with the community on coyote concerns and human/pet interactions.
I have read that the City is going to proactively trap and euthanize coyotes?
Unfortunately, some of the media information has been misleading.  The Plan does not call for proactively, trapping and euthanizing coyotes.

The San Dimas Coyote Management Plan includes a tiered Safety Response Plan that provides a mechanism for identifying and classifying different levels of human/coyote interactions. The Safety Response Plan serves as a guide for residents and the City to respond to reports of coyote interactions in order of magnitude. All encounters involving a level 3, 4, and 5, can result in a recommended action of removal and euthanizing by a certified Biologist. These include:

  • Coyote entering a yard and injuring or killing an unattended pet
  • Coyote biting or injuring an attended or /pet on a leash
  • Coyote following or approaching a person and pet (stalking)
  • Coyote following or approaching a person without a pet (stalking)
  • Coyote biting or injuring a human
Why can't the City trap and relocate them or spay and neuter them?
Under the current California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations, it is illegal to relocate a coyote. Once a coyote is trapped, it must be euthanized. The California regulation is below along with a link to the California Department of Fish and Game (wildlife.ca.gov).

CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS TITLE 14. SECTION 251.1.  HARASSMENT OF ANIMALS Except as otherwise authorized in these regulations or in the Fish and Game Code, no person shall harass, herd, or drive any game nongame bird or mammal or furbearing mammal. For the purposes of this section, harass is defined as an intentional act which disrupts an animal’s normal behavior patterns, which includes, but is not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.
I understand that it will cost $3,000 to trap a coyote, that seems like a lot of money?
The $3,000 is an all-inclusive cost per location for 10 days with no guarantee of trapping any problematic coyotes. The all-inclusive services include:


  • Trap set up
  • Use of traps and/or material for the duration of the 10 day trapping period.
  • Trapping and removal of the target animals.
  • Travel and services to inspect the traps daily or as needed.
How do I report a coyote sighting or encounter?
The Plan encourages residents to report coyote sightings to the University of California Coyote Cacher© at https://ucanr.edu/sites/CoyoteCacher/. This will allow the City to identify potential trouble areas where coyotes are frequently sighted. The City will have a dedicated section on its web-page to report sightings and incidents.

Coyote Cacher is part of a research project with the University of California Cooperative Extension that aims to collect more information on coyote encounters in California.  The information you provide will be used to help inform researchers of trends in human-coyote interactions. If you wish to participate in this survey, please see the survey below to answer some questions. Participation is voluntary.  If you require more information about this process, please contact Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor Dr. Niamh Quinn at nmquinn@ucanr.edu at the University of California Cooperative Extension, Orange County.

Use the following link to submit a coyote encounter: https://geodata.ucanr.edu/coyoteCacher/form/

Coyote Encounters by Zip Code

If you want to see where encounters are in your neighborhood, please click here for an interactive coyote encounter map.

Sign Up to Receive Alerts!

If you would like to sign up for coyote encounter email alerts for your zip code, please register here on the Coyote Cacher website under Alerts! 
When will the Plan be implemented?
The San Dimas Coyote Management Plan was adopted by City Council on October 22, 2019. Staff is currently working on Education material including a webpage, incident reporting hotline, and coordination with the Los Angeles County and Humane Society.