Paramount, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

The City Council of Paramount, in Los Angeles County, regulates cats through Title 6, the Animal Control Ordinance. Section 6.12.130 opens with its purpose, to provide a method for identifying cats, and then states that the section does not require the licensing of cats but merely provides for their optional licensing. That puts cats on a different footing from dogs: Section 6.12.010 requires every dog over four months of age to be licensed and registered, and Section 6.12.040 makes the annual dog license due within 30 days after a dog is acquired.

Identification matters most when a cat is impounded. Under Section 6.24.050(B), a cat at the animal shelter that displays some type of identification must be fed and watered by the Director for at least 10 days after written notice to the owner. A cat without identification is held at least seven calendar days, after which it can be destroyed, and a cat the Director determines to be wild can be disposed of upon impoundment. Section 6.24.030 lets an owner recover a cat by proving ownership and paying the required fee.

Keeping many cats triggers a separate regime. Section 6.04.080 defines a cat kennel as premises where four or more cats over the age of four months are kept or maintained for any purpose. Section 6.36.010 bars keeping a cat mainly for breeding except on properly zoned property in an approved kennel, requires a cat or dog breeding permit from the Director, and treats any kitten sold from a litter for a profit over the cost of advertising as prima facie evidence of breeding. A kennel needs a conditional use permit under Section 6.36.020 and must sit at least 100 feet from the nearest boundary of any church, school, rest home, hospital, medical center or food establishment. Under Section 6.36.140 the operator must keep the cats confined to the premises and not allow them to run at large, and Section 6.36.050(F) sets a minimum of three and one-half square feet of floor space for each adult cat.