Cicero, IL Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License deadline
- November 30 annually
- Late registration fee
- $10.00 per animal
- Unlicensed cat fine
- $100.00 to $750.00
- No rabies certificate fine
- $75.00 to $300.00
- At-large fine
- $50.00 to $200.00
- Enforcing office
- Town collector and animal control warden
Summary
The Town of Cicero requires every cat owner to register with the town collector by November 30 each year and buy a metal license tag, backed by a current rabies certificate. Cats may not run at large on any street, alley or public place. Miss the deadline and a $10 late fee plus fines up to $750 follow.
Every person who owns or keeps a dog or cat within the town limits shall report to the collector annually, by November 30, his name and address and shall give the name, breed and color of each and every dog or cat owned or kept by such person. The person shall cause each such dog or cat to be registered for a license in the office of the collector... No person shall cause or permit any cat owned or kept by him to run at large on any street, alley, or other public place.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 121).
Full Breakdown
Section 18-37 makes registration mandatory for "every person who owns or keeps a dog or cat within the town limits," who must report to the town collector "annually, by November 30" with the animal's name, breed and color and obtain a license. The collector then issues a metal tag the owner may keep on the cat's collar. 00 for failing to register at all. 00. 00. The animal control warden and police, under Section 18-42, may impound any cat found running at large or unregistered, and Section 18-44 requires impounded, unlicensed cats to be spayed/neutered and microchipped, or the subject of a signed agreement to do so, before release.
Cicero's code does not carve out a separate feral or community-cat colony program; loose cats, owned or feral, are handled through the same at-large and impoundment provisions.
Violations & Fines
Failing to register a cat by November 30 draws a $10.00 late fee plus a fine of $100.00 to $750.00 under Section 18-37(c). A cat found without a rabies certificate is fined $75.00 to $300.00 under Section 18-38. Letting a cat run at large on a street, alley or public place violates Section 18-41(b) and carries a $50.00 to $200.00 fine under subsection (f); the animal control warden may also impound the cat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to license my cat in Cicero?
Can my cat go outside unsupervised in Cicero?
Does Cicero have a feral cat colony program?
What happens if my cat is impounded in Cicero?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cicero
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Cat Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cook County handle cat rules.