Akron, OH Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

08 only requires an owner to file a registration application for a dog, and the code has no parallel licensing section for cats. 01 defines 'at large' as being off the owner's premises without a leash, cord, chain, fence, or other restraint adequate to contain the animal, and bars owners, keepers, or harborers of cats (along with dogs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and fowl) from letting the animal loose on a public way, public ground, or someone else's private property. The fact that a cat is found running loose is itself prima facie evidence of a violation.

16 lets the Animal Control Warden charge fixed fees regardless of whether the cat is later reclaimed or destroyed: $20 to seize and deliver the animal, $10 per day for housing and feeding, $15 for cat disposal, and a discounted $10-per-kitten fee capped at $15 per litter. 152 lets the shelter release a cat for adoption or destroy it once the redemption period the shelter or state law sets has run, unless a court order blocks that. Whoever violates the at-large ban faces escalating penalties: a minor misdemeanor for a first offense and a fourth-degree misdemeanor for every offense after that, and the violator must also reimburse the City's Customer Service Division for shelter, food, and veterinary costs the seizure caused.