Norfolk, VA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

1-101 sets caregiver duties. Every managed free-roaming cat must stay on private property with permission; there is no right to feed colonies on public land or someone else's lot without consent. Any cat enrolled in Trap-Neuter-Return must be sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, and ear-tipped so animal control and the public can identify it as part of a managed colony on sight. Caregivers must supply proper nutrition and medical care as needed, not just food. The feeding rules are specific: feeding should happen mainly in daylight, no more than twice a day, and if a caregiver feeds outside daylight hours the food can sit out no more than thirty minutes.

The caregiver has to stay present and within sight during feeding, food cannot be left unattended where wildlife can reach it, and automatic feeders, food dumped on the ground, and open packages left out are all prohibited. Caregivers must keep, for each cat, the veterinarian-issued rabies vaccination record and written confirmation of sterilization from the vet who performed it. This caregiver program is what exempts a properly documented free-roaming cat from the general at-large ban in Sec. 1-79: the leash-control language in that section does not apply to cats, and a compliant caregiver operating under Sec. 1-101 is not chasing an at-large citation for the colony being outdoors.