Charleston, SC Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Program
- Free-roaming (feral) cat trap-neuter-return
- Required
- Vet check, spay/neuter, microchip, vaccines, ear-tip
- Safety-concern cats
- Re-trapped within 5 days for humane euthanasia
- Relocation limit
- Within 150 yards of original trap site
- City liability
- None for cats entered into the program
Summary
Charleston permits free-roaming (feral) cats citywide only through a formal trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program: each cat must be vet-checked, sterilized, microchipped, rabies- and disease-vaccinated, and ear-tipped, and a cat that attacks or bites is treated as a safety concern subject to re-trapping.
(b)Free roaming cats.(1)Free roaming cats shall be allowed in the city as long as all of the following requirements are met:a.Cat must be assessed by a veterinarian and deemed healthy.b.Cat must be spayed or neutered.c.Cat must be microchippedd.Cat must be vaccinated for rabies, feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia.e.Cat must be ear tipped.(2)Free roaming cats shall only be allowed as long as they do not create a safety concern, such that, for the purposes of this program only, a safety concern shall mean a feral cat that attacks unprovoked, tries to attack, scratches, or bites a human or domestic animal. When a feral cat becomes a safety concern, the animal control division shall attempt, for five (5) days, to re-trap the cat to be brought to the shelter for humane euthanasia.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 114 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 5-61 sets city council's findings that free-roaming cats can threaten public safety and health and contribute to stray overpopulation, and establishes a program meant to reduce the population over time while ensuring the cats are vaccinated. Under Sec. 5-61(b)(1), a free-roaming cat is allowed in the city only if it has been assessed healthy by a veterinarian, is spayed or neutered, is microchipped, is vaccinated for rabies, feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia, and is ear-tipped, the standard visual mark of a managed colony cat.
Sec. 5-61(b)(2) defines a 'safety concern' for program purposes as a feral cat that attacks unprovoked, tries to attack, scratches, or bites a human or domestic animal; once a cat is flagged, the animal control division has five days to re-trap it for the shelter, after which the division moves on to other trapping areas rather than continuing the search. Sec. 5-61(b)(3) requires a trapped, qualifying cat to be returned to where it was caught unless the property owner or caretaker requests relocation, in which case it must be released within 150 yards of the original trap site. The city disclaims liability for any cat's disposition under the program and may review the program's functionality two years after inception.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 5-61 does not itself set a fine schedule; a cat that does not meet the vet-check, sterilization, microchip, vaccination and ear-tip conditions falls outside the program's protection, and a cat that becomes a documented safety concern is subject to re-trapping and, if caught, humane euthanasia at the shelter under Sec. 5-61(b)(2). General chapter violations otherwise carry the Sec. 1-16 penalty of a fine up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are feral cats legal to have around in Charleston?
What counts as a 'safety concern' feral cat?
Where does a trapped colony cat get released?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston
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