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El Paso, TX Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Base rule
Cats must stay on owner's premises or be controlled
TNR exemption
Ear-tipped TNR cats exempt from at-large ban
Ear-tip mark
1/4-inch diagonal cut, usually left ear
Registration exemption
TNR cats exempt from registration/microchip duty
Maximum fine
$2,000 per offense

Summary

El Paso requires owned cats to stay on their owner's property or under physical control off it, but Chapter 7.12 carves out a real exception for feral cats processed through trap-neuter-return: a vaccinated, ear-tipped TNR cat isn't treated as running at large or subject to the standard registration mandate.

B. The prohibition against an animal running at large shall not apply to: ... 2. A cat that can be identified as having an owner or caregiver by collar and tags, microchip, identifying tattoo, or is an ear tipped cat indicating that it has been processed through the trap-neuter-return protocol ... "Ear tipped cat" means a cat upon which a surgical process is performed during neutering as part of the trap-neuter-return protocol overseen by a licensed veterinarian, in which a one-quarter-inch diagonal cut is made to remove the point of a cat's ear ... An ear tipped cat that has been processed through the trap-neuter-return protocol shall be exempt from the registration and microchip requirements of this chapter.

View official code

Full Breakdown

" Subsection B then exempts three categories from the at-large prohibition: a vaccinated cat wearing its tags, a cat identifiable by "collar and tags, microchip, identifying tattoo, or is an ear tipped cat indicating that it has been processed through the trap-neuter-return protocol," and a cat whose caretaker can document sterilization. 020(A)(5) builds the exemption into the registration scheme itself: "An ear tipped cat that has been processed through the trap-neuter-return protocol shall be exempt from the registration and microchip requirements of this chapter," though a caretaker who wants the program to microchip or register a TNR cat anyway must pay the standard fee. Outside of TNR cats, every cat over four months must otherwise be registered, vaccinated and microchipped like a dog.

Violations & Fines

Letting a non-exempt cat run at large, or keeping an unregistered, unvaccinated cat past the grace periods in Section 7.12.020, is a misdemeanor under Section 7.04.080 punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, enforceable by injunction; the department can also impound a cat found at large that doesn't qualify for the TNR, collar-and-tag, or documented-sterilization exceptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are community cats in a TNR colony breaking the at-large law in El Paso?
No. Section 7.12.010(B)(2) exempts an ear-tipped cat processed through trap-neuter-return from the at-large prohibition, so a feral cat carrying the TNR ear-tip mark isn't treated as running at large.
Do TNR cats still need to be registered with the city?
No. Section 7.12.020(A)(5) specifically exempts an ear-tipped TNR cat from the registration and microchip requirements that otherwise apply to cats over four months old.
How does the city identify a cat as a TNR cat?
By the ear tip defined in Section 7.04.010(U): a quarter-inch diagonal cut removing the point of the ear, typically the left ear, made during neutering as part of the trap-neuter-return protocol overseen by a licensed veterinarian.
What if my pet cat gets loose without a collar?
It can still avoid an at-large violation if it's identifiable by microchip or tattoo, or if you can document its sterilization, per Section 7.12.010(B); otherwise it's subject to impoundment and a misdemeanor fine up to $2,000.

Sources & Official References

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All El Paso rules

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