Nashville, TN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- cats over 6 months old
- Community cats
- fully exempt from licensing
- At-large law
- does not apply to cats
- Enforcing agency
- Metro Health Dept., Animal Care & Control
- Max penalty
- $50 civil infraction per day
Summary
Metro Nashville requires owned cats over six months to be rabies-vaccinated and licensed through the Health Department, but community cats fed by neighborhood caregivers are exempt from licensing, stray, abandonment, and at-large rules entirely.
"Community cat" means any free roaming cat that may be cared for by one or more residents of the immediate area. Community cats are exempt from any licensing, stray, abandonment, and at-large provisions directed towards owned animals.
"Community cat caregiver" means a person who provides care, including food, shelter, or medical care to a community cat, while not being considered the owner, custodian, harborer, controller, or keeper of a community cat or to have care or charge of a community cat. Caregivers should make reasonable efforts to sterilize and vaccinate cats against rabies. Community cat caregivers may redeem community cats from the shelter without proof of ownership and are exempt from any charges and/or fees.
"Compendium" or "Rabies compendium" means the most recent issue of the national Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control published by the Association of State Public Health Veterinarians.
"Department" means the Department of Health of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, and shall include its board, agents, employees and activities.
"Director of health" means the director of health or the director of health's designated representative.
"Dog" means all domesticated members of the canine family.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Any owner keeping a cat six months or older must have it rabies-vaccinated and pay a license fee set by the board of health (Metro Code § 8.04.030). Cats are excluded from the citywide "at large" law that lets animal control seize loose animals, § 8.04.120(E) exempts cats outright. A "community cat", free-roaming and fed by area residents, is defined and exempted from licensing, stray, abandonment, and at-large provisions under § 8.04.010; caregivers may redeem a community cat from the shelter fee-free without proving ownership.
Violations & Fines
General chapter violations are civil infractions heard in general sessions court, punishable by up to $50 per day per animal, cited under Metro Code § 8.04.210; community cats and their caregivers are exempt from these provisions by definition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to license my cat in Nashville?
Can animal control pick up my cat for roaming loose?
What counts as a "community cat" under Metro's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
Compare Nashville to another location·View the Tennessee animal ordinances overview
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