Bozeman, MT Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Cat rules in Bozeman sit in Chapter 8, Article 2 (Animal Control). Section 8.02.020(B) covers any cat over six months of age within the corporate limits. The owner pays a registration amount set by resolution of the city commission, and an owner claiming the cat is spayed or neutered must show the licensing authority that the operation was performed. No license of any type is issued without proof of rabies vaccination. First-time registrations issued after July 1 are prorated on a semi-annual basis.

Section 8.02.030 exempts a cat belonging to a nonresident and kept in the city for not longer than 15 days, provided it was vaccinated against rabies on entry. Section 8.02.040 requires the city to issue a durable tag stamped or engraved with the registration number and year. Whenever the cat is allowed in a public place, the owner must keep a collar or harness on it with the city tag and a rabies vaccination tag attached. A duplicate tag for a lost one is issued under the fee schedule, and removing or altering another person's tag is unlawful. Section 8.02.090 requires vaccination of all dogs and cats over six months old, and a veterinarian issues the certificate and a metallic tag.

Restraint rules reach cats too. Section 8.02.080(A) makes it unlawful for the owner of any animal to permit it to run at large, and section 8.02.080(D) requires a female cat in heat to stay in a secure enclosed shelter or area on the owner's premises. An animal control officer or police officer can impound any cat at large that is not wearing a collar or harness showing both the license tag and the vaccination tag. Under section 8.02.140 an impounded owner must redeem within 96 hours, and a cat that is unaltered and impounded a second time within three years must be altered before redemption. Keeping more than two cats over six months old requires a kennel license under section 8.02.050.