Chicago Municipal Code 7-12-170 requires every cat over four months old to wear a city-issued license tag. Chicago Animal Care and Control runs a Trap-Neuter-Return program for community cats so colony caretakers can register feeders without facing impoundment.
MCC 7-12-170 directs the Executive Director of Animal Care and Control to issue annual cat licenses. Owners must keep the license tag on the cat or display proof of current rabies vaccination. Licenses cost $5 spayed/neutered and $50 intact, mirroring dog rates in MCC 7-12-140. Cats running at large can be impounded under 7-12-220 and held five days before disposition. The CACC TNR ordinance MCC 7-12-070 lets registered colony caretakers and approved sponsors return ear-tipped, sterilized, vaccinated free-roaming cats to managed outdoor colonies. Enforcement focuses on nuisance complaints, bites, and unvaccinated animals rather than indoor cats.
Failure to license a cat is punishable under MCC 7-12-170 by fines from $30 to $200 per violation. Allowing a cat to run at large adds impound fees, daily boarding charges, and rabies-vaccination compliance costs before release.
Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL
Chicago Municipal Code Section 7-12-030 requires all dogs to be leashed and under control when off the owner's property. Dogs must also be leashed on unfence...
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