Modoc County, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Cats are essentially unregulated by Modoc County's code. Title 6 (Animals) consists only of Chapter 6.02 (Dog Control) and Chapter 6.06 (Bees), and the dog-control provisions, licensing, rabies vaccination, at-large, and dangerous-animal rules are written specifically for dogs. We found no county cat-licensing requirement, no cat-leash or cat-confinement rule, and no county cat-count limit. That means a free-roaming owned cat is not 'at large' under any county ordinance, because the at-large rule (Section 6.02.102) applies to dogs. The county's dog-licensing office (the Environmental Health Division) licenses dogs, not cats. While the county does not impose cat rules, California state law still governs cats in important ways: animal-cruelty and neglect protections under Penal Code Sections 597 and 597.1 apply to cats, and California public-health authorities recommend rabies vaccination for cats even where not locally mandated. Owners dealing with feral or nuisance cats generally rely on humane trap-neuter-return and local welfare resources rather than a county ordinance. Because there is no specific county cat rule to cite, we do not state one; for any cat-related concern in the unincorporated county, contact the Modoc County Sheriff's animal control.