Yellowstone County's animal ordinances focus on dogs; there is no county at-large or licensing rule for cats in unincorporated areas. Cats are covered mainly by Montana cruelty law and the state rabies program, which requires quarantine of an unvaccinated cat that bites a person.
County dog-control authority under MCA 7-23 does not extend a leash or licensing scheme to cats, and the county has no cat ordinance for rural areas. Cats fall under Montana's cruelty statutes and the rabies control program administered by the Department of Livestock and, locally, RiverStone Health. A cat that bites a person and is not currently vaccinated against rabies must be quarantined for 10 days or euthanized at the owner's expense; an unvaccinated cat exposed to a rabid animal faces a much longer quarantine. Cities may adopt their own cat rules.
Rabies-quarantine and cruelty violations are enforced by the state/RiverStone Health; cruelty carries fines up to $1,000 and jail under MCA 45-8-211.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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