Boulder requires cats over four months to be licensed and discourages free-roaming due to wildlife, vehicle, and predation impacts. Cats picked up at large are impounded by Humane Society of Boulder Valley with reclaim fees.
Unlike many Colorado cities, Boulder treats cats similarly to dogs under BRC Title 6: licensing is required over four months, with reduced fees for altered cats. Free-roaming cats may be impounded if a complaint is filed or if they enter a neighbor's property repeatedly, and trapped cats are turned over to Humane Society of Boulder Valley. The city promotes indoor-only cats or supervised outdoor enclosures to protect both songbird populations on Open Space lands and the cats themselves from coyotes and traffic. Microchipping is strongly encouraged and required upon impound release.
Impound and reclaim fees scale with prior offenses; unlicensed cats face license back-fees plus civil municipal penalties.
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See how Boulder's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
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