Floyd County, GA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Floyd County Code §§ 2-5-47, 2-5-48
- Enforcing agency
- Rome-Floyd Animal Control
- Owner duty
- No unsupervised roaming off property
- Colony requirement
- Register with a department-approved sponsor
- Marking
- Ear-tipping required after spay/neuter
- Sponsor compliance window
- 14 to 30 days to fix violations
Summary
Unincorporated Floyd County bars domesticated cats from roaming unsupervised off their owner's property and requires feral cat colonies to register with a department-approved sponsor. Owners must provide food, water, shelter and veterinary care, and colony caregivers must ear-tip, vaccinate and track every cat they manage.
(a)Owners of domesticated cats shall provide appropriate and adequate food, water and shelter for their cats and veterinary treatment for any condition that may cause pain or suffering.(b)The owner of a domesticated cat shall exercise reasonable care to guard against the cat creating a nuisance.(c)Owners of domesticated cats shall not permit their cats to roam unsupervised off their property.(d)An owner shall not abandon a domesticated cat. ... Feral cat colony caregivers shall be entitled to maintain and care for feral cats by providing food, water, shelter and other forms of sustenance, provided that the feral cat colonies are registered with a department-approved sponsor, as defined in subsection (b), and that the feral cat colony caregiver takes all appropriate and available steps to meet the terms and conditions of this article.
Full Breakdown
Floyd County Code Article IV of Chapter 2-5 sets separate duties for pet owners and feral cat colony caregivers. Section 2-5-47 requires owners of domesticated cats to provide adequate food, water, shelter and veterinary treatment, to guard against their cat becoming a nuisance, and flatly bars letting a cat roam unsupervised off the owner's property; abandonment is also prohibited. Section 2-5-48 lets feral cat colony caregivers legally feed and shelter feral cats, but only if the colony is registered with a sponsor approved by Rome-Floyd Animal Control, typically a Georgia Department of Agriculture-licensed rescue or a qualifying nonprofit.
Caregivers must ear-tip the left or right ear of every sterilized, rabies-vaccinated colony cat, keep descriptions and vaccination records for the sponsor, observe colony cats at least twice a week, and report semi-annually on colony size, births, deaths and placements. Sponsors must vet caregivers, keep colony records, provide training, and report annually to the department on colony locations and outcomes. Section 2-5-49 gives animal control officers the right to trap and remove cats showing signs of rabies, unsterilized cats, or cats not identifiable as part of a registered colony, and lets the department direct a sponsor to correct a nuisance within 14 days before the department removes the cat itself.
Violations & Fines
A colony caregiver or sponsor who fails to meet these duties gets a written notice and, typically, 14 to 30 days to come into compliance before the department can reassign or remove the colony. An animal control or police officer who confirms a nuisance complaint against a feral cat notifies the department and sponsor in writing; if the sponsor cannot resolve it, the department may remove the cat or issue a summons for the violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I let my cat roam free in unincorporated Floyd County?
Do I need permission to care for a feral cat colony?
What happens if my colony cats keep causing complaints?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Floyd County
Compare Floyd County to another location·View the Georgia animal ordinances overview
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