Asheville, NC Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Sec. 3-27(a) of the Asheville City Code generally requires any animal to stay on the owner's property or be physically restrained by a chain, leash or harness no longer than eight feet when off it. The section then carves out pet cats by name, providing that for purposes of that subsection a cat belonging to the species Felis catus or Felis domesticus which is actually kept as a pet is not subject to the restriction. That means an owned cat can roam off its owner's property without a leash and without violating the general restraint rule that binds dogs and other animals.

The exemption isn't absolute, though. Sec. 3-27(a)(3) lets an animal control officer place a special order of restraint on an individual cat already known to violate the public-nuisance rules in Sec. 3-9 or the animal-bite rules in Sec. 3-13, meaning a specific problem cat, not cats as a class, can be ordered into indoor confinement, fitted with a microchip, or kept in a constructed enclosure. Separately, Sec. 3-23 requires every dog and cat over four months old to be vaccinated against rabies, but subsection (c) of that section exempts cats specifically from having to wear the rabies tag at all times, a requirement dogs must meet.

Taken together, Asheville's code treats cats as a lower-restraint category than dogs for everyday movement, while still reserving individualized enforcement tools for cats that become a documented nuisance or bite risk.