Alexandria, VA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required at
- 4 months old or older
- Unaltered cat tax
- $10/yr or $25/3-yr license
- Altered cat tax
- $2/yr or $5/3-yr license
- Rabies vaccination
- Required, by licensed veterinarian
- Household cap
- 4 cats over 4 months per unit
- Leash/at-large law
- None specific to cats
Summary
Every cat four months or older in Alexandria must carry an individual license and current rabies vaccination under City Code Sec. 5-7-47 and Sec. 5-7-38.1. Alexandria has no running-at-large or leash law for cats specifically, but licensing, a $10-$30 annual tax range, and a four-cat-per-dwelling cap all apply citywide.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to own a dog or cat four months old or older within the city unless such dog or cat is licensed, as required by the provisions of this article.(b)All dog and cat license taxes collected pursuant to this article shall be paid into the general fund from which sufficient funds for the operation and maintenance of the animal shelter may be provided, as authorized by council. The owner of a dog or cat required to be licensed by this article shall obtain the license and pay the license tax within 30 days of moving into the city, acquiring the animal, or attainment of the required age by the animal, which ever is later.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 156 | Zoning: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 5-7-47 makes it 'unlawful for any person to own a dog or cat four months old or older within the city unless such dog or cat is licensed,' with the license and tax due within 30 days of moving into the city, acquiring the cat, or the cat turning four months old, whichever is later. Sec. 5-7-48 sets the tax: $10 for a one-year license or $25 for a three-year license for an unaltered cat, dropping to $2 for one year or $5 for three years once the cat is spayed or neutered; residents 65 or older receive a discount on the corresponding dog license but the ordinance does not extend that senior discount to cats.
Before a license issues, Sec. 5-7-49 requires a signed application listing the cat's sex, age, breed and description along with proof of rabies vaccination from a licensed veterinarian; the city then issues a receipt and a serial-numbered tag under Sec. 5-7-50. Separately, Sec. 1 requires every cat owner to have the cat vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, with the certificate 'carefully preserved by the owner' and produced on request to an animal control officer, public health officer, or law enforcement officer. Unlike Alexandria's dog rules, there is no ordinance requiring cats to be leashed or confined, and the running-at-large prohibition in Sec.
5-7-32 applies only to dogs and to exotic or poisonous animals, not to cats generally. A household is still capped at four cats over four months old per dwelling unit under Sec. 5-7-57.
Violations & Fines
Owning an unlicensed cat four months or older is unlawful under Sec. 5-7-47, and Sec. 5-7-53 presumes any cat without a collar tag for the current year to be unlicensed, shifting the burden onto the owner to prove otherwise. Making a false statement to obtain a cat license is a separate offense under Sec. 5-7-56, and general Chapter 7 violations carry the $50 civil penalty set in Sec. 5-7-46.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alexandria
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