Lynwood, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Together the two sections form a mandatory spay-or-neuter regime for cats: 8-1.24 targets the specific act of letting an unaltered cat roam outdoors, while 8-1.35(b)(3) makes owning or harboring any unaltered cat four months or older unlawful outright, indoors or out, unless the owner qualifies under 8-1.35(b) for a certificate of sterility, an unaltered exempt license, or a hobby breeder license. Exempt categories include a cat with a veterinarian-documented medical risk from surgery, a recognized breed-club animal, a qualified service or law-enforcement cat, and a competition cat that has shown within the last 365 days or holds an approved conformation title.

A hobby breeder license permits only one litter per cat per twelve-month period. The animal control agency can deny or revoke either license for noncompliance, three or more verified at-large or neglect complaints, a prior citation, a dangerousness finding, a prior revocation, or a material misrepresentation in the application, and the owner has fifteen days to request an administrative hearing, held within sixty days, whose decision is final. For feral colonies, the city or its animal control agency may run spay-and-neuter services or trap-and-release programs rather than blanket impoundment.

A stray or feral cat found outdoors must be reported to an animal control officer within thirty-six hours under section 8-1.19. Violations of 8-1.24 or 8-1.35 default to the misdemeanor penalty in section 1-5, though an administrative citation or infraction may be issued instead.