Colorado Springs, CO Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- cats over 4 months old
- Licensing deadline
- within 30 days of turning 4 months
- License term
- 1 or 3 years (§6.8.106.A)
- Feral colony exemption
- §6.8.103.C
- Tag/collar or microchip
- required under §6.8.107
- Max penalty
- $2,500 fine / 189 days jail
Summary
Colorado Springs requires every cat over four months old to carry a City license under City Code § 6.8.103, obtained within 30 days of the cat turning four months and renewed every one to three years. Feral cats enrolled in a nonprofit-run colony or trap-neuter-release program are exempt from licensing, and those colonies are also exempt from the at-large restraint rule.
A. Except as otherwise provided, it shall be unlawful for any person to own or keep any dog or cat over the age of four (4) months without obtaining a license. B. When any dog or cat owned or kept by any person residing within the City becomes four (4) months old, the owner or keeper of the dog or cat shall have it licensed within thirty (30) days of that date. C. Nonprofit animal welfare organizations that manage feral cat colonies or trap-neuter-release programs, and the feral cats that are residents or subjects of these colonies or programs, shall be exempt from the licensing requirement of this article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 26-23, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
103 makes it unlawful to own or keep a dog or cat over four months old inside Colorado Springs without a current City license, and owners must license a cat within 30 days of the animal's fourth month. 105). A), and owners have 30 days after expiration to renew before a late-application penalty attaches; a license cannot be transferred between owners, only to a replacement animal of the same type. 107 requires the licensed cat to wear a collar carrying the tag and current rabies vaccination tag, or in the alternative a scannable microchip in place of the collar.
D carves the same colonies out of the citywide duty to restrain cats from running at large, so a nonprofit may trap, neuter and return a colony cat without the cat or the organization being cited for lacking a tag or being unleashed. A, which lets the animal be impounded under Article 10 of this chapter.
Violations & Fines
Keeping an unlicensed cat over four months old, letting the license lapse without renewing within 30 days, or removing the required collar and tag is punishable under the Code's general penalty section 1.1.201: a fine of up to $2,500, up to 189 days in jail, probation, or a combination, unless the Violations Bureau applies a lesser scheduled fine. A cat found roaming without an owner asserting the feral-colony exemption may be impounded under Article 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to license my cat in Colorado Springs?
Are feral cats in a managed colony exempt from licensing?
What happens if my cat's license expires?
Can I skip the collar if my cat is microchipped?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colorado Springs
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