Daytona Beach, FL Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Chapter 14 does not give cats their own article; it folds them into the same dog-or-cat vaccination and licensing scheme used for dogs. Section 14-15(a) requires the owner of an adult cat to have it vaccinated against rabies each year by a licensed veterinarian, with narrow exceptions for cats under six months old, cats vaccinated out of state within the past year with proof, or cats a veterinarian certifies would be endangered by the vaccine. Once a cat is vaccinated or required to be, § 14-16(a) requires the owner to obtain a city license tag for it each year, attach the tag to a collar or harness, and keep it on the cat at all times except during veterinary treatment, a show or training session, or if the cat is microchipped and tattoo-registered instead.

License tags are not required for cats kept in a licensed pet store or shelter awaiting sale or transfer, or for cats owned by non-residents. Section 14-11(a) bans letting any animal, cats included, run at large, and § 14-11(e) bars letting a cat defecate or urinate on public property or another's private property without cleaning it up. Section 14-11(f) adds a cat-specific breeding-control rule: a female cat in heat must be confined in a secure enclosure to keep her away from a male cat, unless the owner is intentionally breeding her.

Cats are also covered by the citywide mandatory spay-and-neuter program in § 14-19, which requires an unaltered-animal permit for any unspayed or unneutered cat six months or older unless the owner qualifies for a show, breeding, medical or service-animal exemption.