New Orleans, LA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Community cat exemption
- No license/registration if ear-tipped, § 18-1
- Owned-cat rule
- Microchip or ear-tip required, § 18-14(c)
- Rabies vaccination
- Required over 4 months old, § 18-169
- Revaccination cycle
- 12 months, then every 36 months, § 18-168
- Ear-tip mark
- About 1/4 inch off left ear tip
- Max penalty
- $500 fine / 6 months, § 18-18(b)
Summary
New Orleans exempts sterilized, ear-tipped "community cats" from licensing and confinement, but every privately owned indoor/outdoor cat must be microchipped or ear-tipped under § 18-14(c), and any cat over four months old must carry current rabies vaccination under §§ 18-168–18-169.
Community cat means a feral or free-roaming cat that is without visibly-discernible identification of any kind and has been sterilized, vaccinated, and ear-tipped. Community cats are exempt from licensing, feeding bans and registration requirements. ... (c)All indoor/outdoor cats that are privately owned must be microchipped or ear tipped.(d)Community cats may be allowed outside so long as the cats do not prove to be a nuisance to neighbors. Any ear-tipped cat collected under the provisions of this section shall be released on-site unless suffering from an obvious injury or illness.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 116 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
" "Ear-tipped" is defined as removing about a quarter-inch off the tip of a cat's left ear while it is anesthetized for sterilization, and a "feral cat" is one born in the wild, unsocialized offspring of an owned or feral cat, or a formerly-owned cat that is no longer socialized. " Section 18-14(d) protects registered community cats from removal, an ear-tipped cat collected by the agency "shall be released on-site unless suffering from an obvious injury or illness," while a non-ear-tipped cat is held until the owner has it spayed or neutered, ear-tipped or microchipped, and vaccinated, and any nuisance complaints are resolved.
Rabies vaccination is separately mandatory: § 18-168 requires every dog or cat between three and four months old be vaccinated by a Louisiana-licensed veterinarian, revaccinated 12 months later, and every 36 months after that. "
Violations & Fines
General Chapter 18 violations, including failing to microchip/ear-tip a privately owned cat or keep rabies vaccination current, are punished under § 18-18(b) as a misdemeanor: a fine of up to $500.00, up to six months' imprisonment, and/or community service, with the presiding judge able to add other sanctions in the animal's interest. Nuisance complaints against a community cat caregiver must be resolved, and any repairs the cat caused to private property are the registered caregiver's responsibility under § 18-14(d), before the caregiver's release rights continue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to license a community cat I feed outdoors in New Orleans?
Does my own indoor-outdoor cat need to be microchipped?
What happens if animal control picks up my ear-tipped community cat?
How often does my cat need a rabies vaccination in New Orleans?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Orleans
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