Bay County, MI Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum age to license
- 4 months
- Enforcing agency
- Bay County Animal Control Division
- Maximum civil fine
- $500 plus court costs
- Collar exception
- Cat safety, but must show tag on request
- Vaccination requirement
- Current rabies vaccine certificate required
Summary
Bay County requires every cat four months or older to be licensed and to wear a collar with an approved identifying tag, with a narrow safety exception. An owner may skip the collar for the cat's safety but must produce the license tag or documentation on request, or the Animal Control Officer may treat the cat as feral and seize it.
Sec. 1. It shall be unlawful for any person: ... (a)To own any dog or cat four (4) months old or older, unless the dog or cat is licensed as hereinafter provided;(b)To own any dog or cat four (4) months old or older that does not at all times wear a collar with an identifying tag approved by the Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (see exception below), attached as hereinafter provided, except when engaged in lawful hunting or training activity accompanied by its owner; or ... Exception: An owner of a cat who for safety of the cat elects not to have the cat wear a collar is relieved of the obligation of attaching said cat's license to a collar. However, said owner shall, upon request of an animal control officer, produce and display the current year license tag and/or official documentation of such licensing of said cat. Such owner electing not to affix a license and collar to his cat assumes the risk that the Animal Control Officer, in fulfilling his duties under this Ordinance, will regard such cat as feral or abandoned and therefore subject to seizure and disposition in accordance with Article III.
Full Breakdown
401 of the county's Animal Control Ordinance (Part 50) makes it unlawful to own a dog or cat four months old or older unless it is licensed, and unlawful for a licensed cat not to wear a collar with an identifying tag approved by the Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture at all times, except while engaged in lawful hunting or training activity accompanied by its owner. The section carries a specific cat exception: an owner who elects not to put a collar on the cat for the cat's own safety is relieved of the collar-and-tag requirement, but must still produce and display the current year's license tag or official proof of licensing when an Animal Control Officer requests it.
An owner who goes uncollared without being able to produce that proof assumes the risk that the Animal Control Officer will treat the cat as feral or abandoned under Article III and seize it for disposition at the county animal shelter. 402 ties the license application to proof of a current rabies vaccination certificate signed by an accredited veterinarian. Licensing is handled by the Animal Control Officer or the County Treasurer, and current licenses from other Michigan counties are honored until the vaccination renewal date.
Violations & Fines
A Section 50.401 violation is a civil infraction under Section 50.1001(1), with courts assessing fines up to $500 plus court costs. Because the section covers both the licensing and the collar/tag requirement, an unlicensed or uncollared cat exposes the owner to the same $500 civil-infraction exposure, and a feral-treated cat can be seized and impounded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cats have to be licensed in Bay County?
Can I skip the collar on my cat?
What happens if my cat is picked up without a collar or license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bay County
Compare Bay County to another location·View the Michigan animal ordinances overview
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