Baltimore County requires cats over four months to be licensed and vaccinated against rabies (12-5-102). Cats count toward the three-animal 'fancier' threshold. A female cat in heat may not be left outdoors, and the code recognizes a Trap-Neuter-Return feral-cat program.
Cats are regulated alongside dogs. Every cat over four months old must be licensed (12-2-201) and vaccinated against rabies (12-5-102). A female cat in oestrus ('heat') may not be outdoors except leashed within a fenced area on the owner's property with the owner, or while being transported for medical care, boarding, or breeding (12-4-102); a female cat in heat running at large is a public nuisance animal (12-3-109). Owning more than three cats makes a person a 'fancier' subject to kennel/cattery licensing. The code recognizes feral-cat caregivers and a Trap-Neuter-Return program (12-1-115), and cruelty rules protect feral cats returned by caregivers (12-3-103).
Failure to license or vaccinate a cat, or letting an in-heat cat roam, violates Article 12: license failure carries a $100 penalty; other violations $30 first / $150 repeat, and are misdemeanors.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
baltimore-county-md
Home backyard composting is allowed in Baltimore County and supported through the Bureau of Solid Waste Management. The county collects yard trim (leaves, gr...
baltimore-county-md
Baltimore County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf. Installation is governed by general zoning, lot-coverage, and stormwater rules, since ...
baltimore-county-md
Native and pollinator plantings are permitted in Baltimore County and encouraged for Bay-friendly landscaping, but tall native beds must still respect the 8-...
baltimore-county-md
Rain barrels and rainwater harvesting are legal in Baltimore County and encouraged as stormwater best-management practices. Maryland has no statute banning r...
baltimore-county-md
Maryland has no year-round mandatory watering ban; restrictions follow drought conditions set by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). As of 2026...
baltimore-county-md
Baltimore County's weed ordinance (Code 13-7-401) bars grass, weeds, or other rank vegetation over 8 inches tall. Noxious weeds are separately regulated stat...
See how Baltimore County's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.