St. Tammany Parish, LA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 10-670, Community cat management
- Required conditions
- Sterilized, microchipped, vaccinated, ear-tipped, vet-assessed healthy
- Enforcing agency
- Parish Department of Animal Services
- Nuisance status
- At-large alone is never a nuisance
- Penalty
- $250-$500 fine, up to 30 days jail
Summary
St. Tammany Parish exempts community cats from licensing and at-large enforcement under Code of Ordinances Sec. 10-670, but only after a veterinarian confirms the cat is sterilized, microchipped, rabies-vaccinated and ear-tipped. Caregivers can feed and shelter a colony without becoming its legal owner. The parish can still order removal of a colony that becomes a genuine nuisance, though running at large alone never qualifies as one.
(a)All cats that are part of the community cat management programs shall be: (1)Assessed by a veterinarian and deemed healthy; (2)Sterilized; (3)Microchipped; (4)Vaccinated against the threat of rabies; and (5)Ear-tipped for easy identification. ... (c)If the requirements of subsections (a)(1)—(5) and (b) are met, the community cat is exempted from licensing, stray, at-large, and other provisions of this title that apply to owned animals. In no event shall a community cat be exempted from the nuisance provisions of this chapter. However, a community cat shall not be deemed a nuisance solely for running at large.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 10-670 sets five conditions a cat must meet before the department of animal services treats it as a protected community cat rather than a stray: veterinary assessment as healthy, sterilization, microchipping, rabies vaccination and ear-tipping (removal of one-quarter inch from the left ear under anesthesia, defined at Sec. 10-642). Managed cats must live on the private property of a caregiver, or on another owner's property only with that owner's express permission; a colony cannot be returned to land whose owner refuses consent after being educated about the program.
Anyone, not just a registered caregiver, can supply food in a maintained container, clean water, and unobtrusive shelter sized for the cat without being treated as its legal owner. Once the five conditions are met, the cat is exempt from the parish's licensing requirement (Sec. 10-648), the leash and at-large law (Sec. 10-647), and other title 10 provisions written for owned animals, but Sec. 10-670(c) is explicit that a community cat is never exempt from the nuisance provisions of chapter 10, only that running at large by itself cannot be the nuisance.
A resident can file a nuisance complaint directly with animal services; the department's first response is education and deterrents, and only if that fails can it order relocation or removal of specific cats from the program. Animal services also keeps authority to pick up or impound a community cat for necessary medical treatment and release it once treatment is complete, independent of any nuisance complaint.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 10-670(g) routes violations to the penalty schedule in Sec. 10-646(14): a misdemeanor fine of $250.00 to $500.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both, plus court costs and any boarding or veterinary costs the parish incurs. The parish can instead bring the case before the bureau of administrative adjudication hearing officer for the same fine range without a criminal charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I own a community cat if I feed it?
Can animal control pick up a community cat that is not causing a problem?
What happens if neighbors complain about a cat colony?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana animal ordinances overview
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