Madison Ch. 9 requires cat licenses, current rabies vaccination, and prohibits cats from running at large. Free-roaming or nuisance cats may be impounded by Dane County Humane Society after neighbor complaints.
Under Madison General Ordinances Ch. 9, cat owners must obtain an annual city license, keep rabies vaccinations current, and ensure cats do not damage neighboring property or defecate in others' gardens. Wisconsin state law (Wis. Stat. §174.054) allows municipalities to license cats. Free-roaming cats found without identification can be impounded; trap-neuter-return colonies operate under Dane County Humane Society guidance. Owners face forfeitures for repeated nuisance complaints, and unvaccinated cats that bite trigger 10-day rabies quarantines coordinated with Public Health Madison & Dane County.
License lapse is roughly $30-$75; nuisance cat forfeitures run $50-$200 per occurrence with impound boarding fees added on pickup.
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