Denver, CO Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License deadline
- 30 days after acquiring a cat over 6 months
- Tag exception
- Waived if microchipped or tattooed
- Spay/neuter
- Mandatory unless intact permit issued
- Enforcing agency
- Denver Animal Protection
Summary
Denver requires every cat over six months to be licensed, but exempts microchipped or tattooed cats from wearing the tag, while mandating spay/neuter unless the owner holds an annual intact permit.
It shall be unlawful for any person who owns any dog or domestic cat over the age of six (6) months in the city to fail to have such dog or cat licensed. Dogs or cats over the age of six (6) months purchased, obtained, or otherwise acquired shall be licensed within thirty (30) days after such acquisition... The license tag shall be attached to each licensed cat at all times when it is off the property of the owner or keeper by means of a collar or harness unless the cat bears a visible tattoo or identifiable microchip...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Any cat over six months old must be licensed within 30 days of acquisition; the license tag normally has to stay on the cat's collar or harness whenever it's off the owner's property, but Denver carves out an exception no dog gets: a cat with a visible tattoo or identifiable microchip doesn't have to wear the tag at all. Separately, unaltered cats over six months are unlawful to keep unless the owner obtains an annual intact permit from Denver Animal Protection, which requires current rabies vaccination and a clean recent violation history.
Violations & Fines
Keeping an unlicensed, untagged (and unchipped/untattooed), or unaltered-without-permit cat is enforceable by Denver Animal Protection through an administrative citation or summons and complaint under DRMC Chapter 8.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Denver cat have to wear its license tag at all times?
Must Denver cats be spayed or neutered?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
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