Bothell, WA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License age
- Eight weeks and older, registered annually
- Spay/neuter
- Required over six months unless owner holds unaltered license
- First violation
- $100.00 civil infraction
- Repeat violation
- $250.00 each in any 12-month period
- Senior permanent license
- Age 65+, altered cat, maximum three per owner
- Enforcer
- Animal control authority (chief of police or designee or contractor)
Summary
In the City of Bothell, Washington, every cat eight weeks old or older that is kept in the city must be licensed and registered annually under BMC 6.08.010. A cat over six months old must be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds an unaltered animal license. Violations are civil infractions: $100.00 for a first notice and $250.00 for each later one in 12 months.
All dogs and cats eight weeks and over which are harbored, kept, or maintained in the city shall be licensed and registered annually. However, dogs kept in kennels need not be licensed annually while kept at such kennel and while such kennel is duly licensed as provided in Chapter 6.12 BMC. For limits on the keeping of animals, please refer to BMC 12.06.140. ... A. No person shall own or harbor any cat or dog over the age of six months that has not been spayed or neutered unless: 1. The person holds an unaltered animal license for the animal pursuant to BMC 6.08.030. B. Guide dog puppies in training and police service dogs are exempted from the provisions of this section. C. Any dog or cat over the age of six months adopted from an animal shelter shall be spayed or neutered before transfer to the owner.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 6.08 of the Bothell Municipal Code puts cats and dogs under one licensing scheme run by the animal control authority, which BMC 6.04.020 defines as the chief of police or designee or a contracted enforcement authority. Licensing starts at eight weeks of age and renews every year. Juvenile licenses are available for pets from four weeks to six months old (BMC 6.08.030(B)). A license for an unaltered cat is valid for one year from the date of issuance, with no proration of fees.
Sterilization is the second requirement. Under BMC 6.08.025, no one in the City of Bothell can own or harbor a cat over the age of six months that has not been spayed or neutered unless the owner holds an unaltered animal license for it. Guide dog puppies in training and police service dogs are exempt, and any cat adopted from an animal shelter must be altered before transfer to the new owner. BMC 6.08.026 separately bars selling or giving away unaltered cats in public places and bars auctioning or raffling them as prizes or gifts. Selling or transferring any pet without a pet license is also a violation, and the seller must give the animal control authority the new owner's name, address and telephone number (BMC 6.08.030(J)).
A license tag must be securely affixed to a collar, harness or other means worn at all times. The alternative is a tattoo of the license number on the right ear or the inside right thigh or groin (BMC 6.08.030(F)). City residents 65 or older can buy a special permanent license for a neutered or spayed cat, capped at three permanent licenses per owner for any combination of cats and dogs. Late penalties, set by council resolution, apply to applications received more than 30 days after the due date, with exceptions such as moving into the city within the preceding 30 days (BMC 6.08.040).
BMC 6.08.020 exempts animals in the custody of a veterinarian, animal shelter or animal rescuer, and animals of nonresidents temporarily in the city for a period not exceeding 30 days. All dogs and cats must also carry a rabies vaccination (BMC 6.12.010(B)). A place where four or more adult cats are kept is a cattery under BMC 6.04.020, and the hobby cattery license is covered in BMC 6.08.070.
Violations & Fines
Keeping a cat in violation of Chapter 6.08 is a civil infraction under BMC 6.08.100. The first notice of violation carries a $100.00 penalty and each successive violation in any 12-month period carries $250.00, and second and later penalties cannot be suspended or deferred. An unaltered cat impounded more than once is spayed or neutered by the animal control authority before release, with the cost charged to the owner on redemption (BMC 6.24.120(F)).
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age does a cat need a license in Bothell?
Does my cat have to be spayed or neutered in Bothell?
Is there a discount license for older residents?
What happens if my cat is impounded?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bothell
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Cat Rules in Nearby Cities
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