Berwyn, IL Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Berwyn Code of Ordinances § 616.07(B) requires every person who owns, keeps or harbors a dog or cat to register it with the City Collector and pay an annual license fee of $10 per animal, including when a new animal is acquired. The Collector issues no license until the owner shows proof that a qualified veterinarian vaccinated the animal against rabies within the preceding 12 months. Each year the Collector hands over a metal tag stamped with the letters B.D.T. and the license number, and the animal must wear a collar with that tag securely fastened. A cat without the tag is impounded by the Chief of Police.

Cats fall under the at-large rule in § 616.02(B): on a public street, alley, sidewalk, parkway or unenclosed place, a cat is deemed running at large unless firmly held on a leash or in an enclosed vehicle. Impounded cats go to the Police Department. The animal control officer logs breed, color and gender, notifies the owner, and gives at least seven calendar days' notice before a licensed animal is transferred to a no-kill shelter. An unlicensed, unidentified animal is held four calendar days, and its release requires spay or neuter, a microchip, and a written agreement.

Feral cats are treated separately. A cat with no license or identification whose observed behaviors mark it as non-domesticated (avoids human contact, rarely vocalizes, avoids eye contact, lean and rough in appearance) is considered feral. It is neutered, inoculated for rabies, microchipped, ear tipped, registered with the city's Trap, Neuter, Release Working Cats Program, and released where it was obtained or placed with a caregiver if one is available.

Other rules: § 616.07(E) caps a premises at three dogs or cats over two months old, counting all parties living in the same building; § 616.07(C) requires a cat that bites a person or domestic animal to be locked in an enclosure for two weeks with a veterinary or physician exam at the start and end; and § 616.07(F) requires owners to clean up any waste the animal leaves on property other than their own.