Noblesville, IN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 90.14 governs feral cats through a trap-neuter-return framework rather than a straight ban. The city may fund or approve assistance programs to offset trapping, neutering, and vaccinating feral cats returned to a controlled, registered colony site, and caregivers can get help with traps, transport, and costs where funding allows. Every colony must be registered with Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic, Inc., which keeps caregiver records and education, and an approved assistance program can only operate with the consent of the affected homeowner or neighborhood association.

Feeding, watering, or sheltering a colony of feral cats is unlawful unless all three conditions in division (D) are met: the colony is registered as an approved managed colony, the care is provided as part of trap-neuter-return methodology, and the caregiver ear-tips cats to mark them as sterilized and vaccinated members of the colony. Division (E) lays out caregiver duties in detail: humanely trap and sterilize captured cats with a left ear-tip, vaccinate against rabies (preferably a three-year vaccine) and any other legally mandated disease, have a licensed veterinarian evaluate trapped cats' health, release non-feral cats to animal control or the humane society, and try to pull kittens from the colony by eight weeks old for domestication.

Law enforcement may impound cats found in violation, though an ear-tipped cat from a managed colony may be returned at the officer's discretion. Under division (H), a caregiver found violating divisions (D), (E) or (F) first gets a written warning and a chance to come into compliance before it becomes a chargeable violation of the chapter.