Palmdale, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing requirement
- Every cat must be individually licensed
- Housing requirement
- Cats must be kept primarily indoors
- Governing section
- PMC § 6.04.080(B), amends County § 10.20.038
- Fee authority
- Set by City Council resolution, § 6.04.060
- Hardship waiver
- Director may waive fees for undue hardship
- Feral colonies
- No local ordinance; county provisions apply
Summary
Palmdale requires every cat kept in the city to be individually licensed and kept primarily indoors. PMC § 6.04.080(B), which rewrites the county's Section 10.20.038, also ties licensing to the numeric cat limit set in Chapter 17.89, and keeping unlicensed cats over that limit requires an animal facility license.
§ 6.04.080. Section 10.20.038 amended – Residential dogs and cats – Limitations. Section 10.20.038 of the County animal control ordinance is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following: 10.20.038 - Residential Dogs and Cats—Limitations. ... B. Cats. It is unlawful to keep more than the allowable number of cats, pursuant to PMC Chapter 17.89 (Animal Keeping), at any residence without an animal facility license. Each cat must be licensed, and kept primarily indoors.
Full Breakdown
010. 89 (Animal Keeping), at any residence without an animal facility license, and each cat must be licensed and kept primarily indoors. 030-1, which separately allows up to five cats on ER, LDR, SFR 1, SFR 2 and SFR 3 zoned lots (two in other residential and mixed-use zones). 060 replaces the county fee schedule entirely, directing that fees for all animal control services and activities, including cat licenses, be set by City Council resolution, with the Director authorized to waive fees for undue hardship.
Because Palmdale's animal control program is built on the adopted county ordinance, county provisions the City has not specifically amended, including registration procedures and rabies vaccination requirements found elsewhere in Title 10 of the Los Angeles County Code, continue to apply to Palmdale cat owners unless the City Council enacts its own local override. 010 adoption.
Violations & Fines
Failure to license a cat, or keeping a cat that is not primarily indoors when the household already exceeds the Chapter 17.89 cat limit without an animal facility license, is a violation of the adopted animal control ordinance under PMC § 6.04.080 and is punishable pursuant to PMC Chapter 1.12 per § 6.04.040's general animal-control penalty provision. The Director may waive licensing fees for undue hardship under § 6.04.060(B), but the licensing and indoor-keeping duties themselves are not waivable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to license my cat in Palmdale?
Can I keep my cat outdoors?
Does Palmdale regulate feral cat colonies?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palmdale
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