Dubuque, IA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 7-6B-2.A requires a license for any cat kept in the City, an exception applying only to veterinary clinics and boarding facilities, with all cats required to be licensed by six months of age or within 30 days of acquisition or arrival in Dubuque, whichever comes first. Subsection D covers cats specifically: the license fee is set by the City Manager each calendar year, and a reduced fee may apply if the owner furnishes a veterinarian's written proof the cat has been spayed or neutered.

Every cat license expires exactly one year from its purchase date and becomes delinquent 30 days after that anniversary, at which point a delinquent fee set by the City Manager is added on top of the regular license fee. License tags cannot be transferred between animals and must stay attached to the cat's collar or harness at all times; a cat found at large without its tag is treated as unlicensed and impounded. Disposition of unredeemed cats is set out in 7-6B-10.F: a licensed cat not redeemed within five days after the City mails an impoundment notice has its license automatically revoked and is disposed of by the City Manager, while an unlicensed cat not redeemed within three days of seizure is disposed of the same way. Applying for and receiving a license also carries an implied consent to a property inspection for rabies-outbreak control or cruelty-to-animals enforcement under 7-6B-2.G.