Durham County's animal ordinance applies to cats: they must be rabies-vaccinated (Sec. 4-39) and, like all animals, are 'at large' when off the owner's property and unrestrained (Sec. 4-13). Feral cats are defined in Chapter 4, and five or more cats trigger the kennel license.
Cats ('any and all domestic felines') are covered by Chapter 4. Sec. 4-39 requires rabies vaccination for cats over the state-mandated age, and Sec. 4-36 addresses licensing. The 'at large' definition in Sec. 4-13 reaches any animal off its owner's property and not under restraint, so free-roaming cats can be picked up, though enforcement focuses on dogs. Sec. 4-13 separately defines a 'feral cat' as a domestic cat adapted to survive in the wild, homeless and ownerless, descended from stray or abandoned house pets. Five or more cats of the same species require a kennel license under Sec. 4-37. Nuisance behavior by cats is reachable under Sec. 4-136.
Failing to rabies-vaccinate a cat, or keeping five or more cats without a kennel license, is enforceable under Chapter 4 with civil penalties from $50 (Sec. 4-9). Impounded cats may be redeemed under Article IX; unredeemed strays become county property
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
durham-county-nc
Backyard composting is legal in Durham and the city offers a curbside food-waste program. Compost piles must be maintained so they do not harbor rodents or p...
durham-county-nc
Durham has no ordinance banning artificial turf in residential yards. It counts toward impervious-surface and lot-coverage limits under the UDO, and cannot b...
durham-county-nc
Durham lies in the Neuse River and Falls Lake watersheds, where state and UDO riparian buffer rules require a 50-foot protected buffer of native vegetation a...
durham-county-nc
Rain barrels and cisterns are legal and encouraged in Durham; no county ordinance bans collecting rooftop rainwater. Durham has historically offered subsidiz...
durham-county-nc
Durham enforces a year-round odd/even irrigation ordinance and can impose tighter water-shortage stages. As of June 2026 Durham is in Stage 2, which bans spr...
durham-county-nc
Durham declares dense weeds, vines, briars and undergrowth a public nuisance when they harbor pests or sit near buildings. Overgrowth over 12 inches high mus...
See how Durham County's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.