Minneapolis, MN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Cats over 4 months old
- Licensing agency
- Minneapolis Animal Care and Control (MACC)
- Feral colony rule
- Needs MACC-approved sponsor registration
- Cats in heat
- Must be confined, not left roaming
- Tag requirement
- Collar with metal license tag in public
Summary
Minneapolis requires every cat over four months old to carry a MACC license and rabies tag, but the city also authorizes registered caretakers to maintain outdoor feral cat colonies under a formal sponsor program.
No person shall keep, harbor, maintain, care for, or have custody or control over any dog, cat, or ferret over four (4) months of age, for a period in excess of five (5) days, without first having obtained a license from MACC. All other domestic animals do not require a license unless they result in an owner exceeding the maximum number of animals allowed in a residential unit pursuant to this title. (Ord. No. 2016-009, § 1, 2-12-16)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 63.20 requires a license from Animal Care and Control (MACC) for any cat kept longer than five days once it's past four months old; owners choose yearly, three-year, lifetime, senior, or low-income fee tiers, and every licensed cat must wear a collar with its metal tag in public under § 63.60. Cats aren't subject to a leash law the way dogs are, but § 64.50 bars letting an unspayed female roam while in heat. Feral cats get a separate track: Chapter 67 lets a MACC-approved sponsor register caretakers to feed, shelter, and provide TNR care for a colony without those caretakers being treated as 'owners.'
Violations & Fines
Keeping an unlicensed cat, letting one go without proof of rabies vaccination, or failing to register a feral colony risks seizure by MACC plus impoundment, boarding, and duplicate-tag fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license for my indoor cat in Minneapolis?
Can I legally care for a feral cat colony in Minneapolis?
Is there a leash law for cats in Minneapolis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Minneapolis
Compare Minneapolis to another location·View the Minnesota animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.