Idaho Falls, ID Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- cats over 4 months, annually
- Microchip exception
- altered + microchipped cats exempt
- At-large law
- does not apply to cats
- Feral cats
- exempt from 3-day shelter hold
Summary
Idaho Falls requires cat owners to license and rabies-vaccinate their cats and bars cat nuisances like habitual howling, spraying, and property soiling, though cats, unlike dogs, aren't covered by the city's at-large restraint law.
Cat nuisances include but are not limited to excessive noise, soiling of public property and of private property not owned or rented by the pet owner, and noxious odors or unsanitary conditions caused by failure to clean the cat's resident property.
(B) Cats must be prevented from causing a nuisance by howling in a habitual, consistent, or persistent manner that repeatedly disturbs the peace of the neighborhood.
(C) Owners must take steps to prevent feces deposits by their cats on public property, public and private rights-of-way, and private property not owned or rented by the animal owner and prevent them from continually spraying or depositing urine on lawns and landscaping that causes damage to grasses, flowers, shrubs, etc.
CITY CODE OF THE CITY OF IDAHO FALLS 266
(D) Animal Services shall investigate each complaint and issue a warning letter to the cat owner on the first offense. A citation may be issued on subsequent offenses.
(E) Impoundment of Unlicensed Cats. All impounded cats not licensed or not identified by tag or microchip, shall be retained in the Animal Services Shelter for a minimum of three (3) business days. At any time during this period, the owner or keeper of such cat may redeem it by procuring a microchip, applicable license, and by paying an impound
Full Breakdown
Idaho Falls City Code § 5-6-2 requires every cat over four months old to be licensed annually and rabies-vaccinated, though an altered cat with a current registered microchip need not be licensed. Section 5-6-11 separately targets cat nuisances, habitual howling, soiling public or another person's private property, and failure to clean up after the cat, with Animal Services issuing a warning letter on the first complaint and a citation on repeat offenses. Cats identified by shelter staff as feral or wild are exempt from the standard three-day holding period when impounded. Notably, § 5-5-6's leash/at-large ban applies to 'any animal, other than a domestic cat,' so a free-roaming owned cat is not independently unlawful in Idaho Falls.
Violations & Fines
A first nuisance complaint draws a warning letter from Animal Services; repeat offenses bring a citation. Keeping an unlicensed cat is a misdemeanor under the Code's general penalty section, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cats have to be licensed in Idaho Falls?
Can my cat roam free in Idaho Falls?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Idaho Falls
Compare Idaho Falls to another location·View the Idaho animal ordinances overview
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