Orangeburg County, SC Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration age
- Cats six months or older
- Unaltered cat fee
- $50.00 per year
- Spayed/neutered fee
- $1.00/yr or $5.00 for 3 years
- Kennel fee cap
- $30.00 per animal
- TNR exemption
- Sec. 4-61
- Enforcing agency
- Orangeburg County Animal Control Department
Summary
Every cat six months or older kept in unincorporated Orangeburg County must be registered and licensed with county animal control, with fees keyed to spay/neuter status. A separate trap-neuter-return exemption protects anyone properly running a TNR program for stray or un-owned cats from prosecution under the rest of Chapter 4.
Trap neuter and return or TNR means a program run and/or assisted by the department and/or a 501c-3 that involves trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, eartipping and allowance of recovery time before returning an un-owned or stray cat to the location from which it was taken. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a person who is properly acting pursuant to a trap neuter and return or TNR program shall not be in violation of any other part of this chapter. ... (a)Registration and licensing. The duties in this section shall be effective from May 1, 2024 forward for: (1) all cats or dogs that are six or more months old; and (2) located in the unincorporated boundaries of the county.(1)Duty. An animal keeper has the duty to register and license all of his/her cats or dogs with county animal control. To register and license a cat or dog, an animal keeper must present certification from a licensed veterinarian that the animal is currently vaccinated against rabies.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 4-108(a) requires every keeper of a cat six months or older in the unincorporated county to register and license the animal with county animal control, presenting a veterinarian's certification of current rabies vaccination to do so. 00 for a three-year rabies vaccination on a spayed or neutered cat. Sec. 00. Feral and community cats get separate treatment: Sec. 4-61 defines trap neuter and return (TNR) as a program, run by the department or a 501(c)(3), of trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, eartipping and returning an un-owned or stray cat to where it was found, and states that a person properly acting pursuant to a TNR program shall not be in violation of any other part of the chapter.
Sec. 4-129(b) separately requires every female cat in heat to be confined to a building, enclosure, veterinary hospital or boarding kennel away from male animals except for intentional, legal breeding. Cats are not exempt from the chapter's general at-large, restraint and nuisance duties that apply to all animals.
Violations & Fines
Failing to register and license a cat as required by Sec. 4-108 is enforced through Chapter 4's general ticketing scheme: a written warning or ordinance summons for a first offense, a mandatory summons for any repeat (Sec. 4-241), and fines of $250.00 to $500.00 or 30 to 90 days' imprisonment on conviction (Sec. 4-242). A person properly running a TNR program is exempt from prosecution for the cats in that program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to license my cat in unincorporated Orangeburg County?
Can I get in trouble for feeding a feral cat colony?
Is licensing free for any cats?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orangeburg County
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