Palm Beach Gardens, FL Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 14-33(b), part of the current Article II, Dogs and Cats, enacted by Ordinance No. 11, 2014 on July 10, 2014, defines a cat's confinement duty by prohibiting it from two places at once: any public street, road, or right-of-way, and any yard or enclosure other than the one belonging to its own owner. Section 14-31 defines 'cat' simply as an animal of the Felidae family, and separately defines 'running at large' for a cat the same way subsection (b) states it, so a cat found loose in a neighbor's yard is treated identically to one found in the street.

The city does not license cats the way some jurisdictions do, and Article II contains no separate provision for managed feral colonies or trap-neuter-release programs; the only relief from Section 14-33(b) is the confinement standard itself. A cat found running at large is subject to impoundment by a police officer or the city's dog warden under Section 14-34, and Section 14-35(a) sets the same $10.00 redemption fee plus costs that applies to dogs, with a two-day claim window before the city may sell or dispose of the animal.

Section 14-32 also requires every cat kept in the city to be currently inoculated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, a separate obligation from the confinement rule.