Newport Beach, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

060 requires every dog kept for more than thirty days to have a City dog license with a wearable tag, but no comparable citywide cat licensing requirement exists anywhere in the animal code. Cats are, however, swept into the general at-large rule. 010, Animals at Large, prohibits any person having control, charge or custody of any fowl, dog or other animal from permitting it to stray, run, or be at large on a public street or place, or on private property without the owner's permission, and allows the animal to be impounded.

020 sets the impoundment procedure: an impounded animal that isn't tagged, or any fowl or other animal, gets a notice posted on the City Hall bulletin board describing it, and if not redeemed within four days it is deemed abandoned, becomes city property, and may be destroyed or sold; food and water must be provided while impounded. 130, require any commercial or non-profit kennel housing cats to provide effectively enclosed housing with elevated resting shelves, washable flooring, and clean litter and water, though that provision applies only to licensed kennels, not individual pet owners.