Whatcom County, WA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- No countywide cat license
- WCC 6.04
- Stray cat definition
- WCC § 6.04.020(U)
- Trapping authority
- WCC § 6.04.190
- Trigger
- Property damage or nuisance complaint
- Self-help
- Owner may self-trap with authorization
- Fee
- Unified Fee Schedule, hardship waiver possible
Summary
Whatcom County does not license cats, but WCC 6.04.190 lets an animal control officer, or the property owner, humanely trap a cat that is trespassing and doing substantial damage to property or disturbing a neighbor's peace, once the officer finds probable cause the complaint is valid; the county's stray-animal definition in WCC 6.04.020(U) also covers unowned cats found without an apparent home.
"Stray animal" means any unidentified dog, cat or other animal whose owner is unknown or who has no owner. The stray animal is declared to be a nuisance, and any such stray may be seized and impounded. ... Upon the written complaint of any party that any cat or other living creature other than man is trespassing upon the premises or property of the complaining party and thereon doing substantial damage to property, trees, shrubs, lawns or gardens, or creating a substantial nuisance that disturbs the repose of any person and upon the animal control officer finding probable cause exists that the complaint is valid, the animal control officer may humanely trap or detain such cat or animal or allow the owner of the property to humanely trap or detain such cat or other animal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4963078; v4 updated 2026-06-23; through 06-23-2026).
Full Breakdown
04 directly reach nuisance and stray cats. 020(U) defines a "stray animal" to include any unidentified dog, cat or other animal whose owner is unknown or who has no owner, declares that stray animal a nuisance, and authorizes it to be seized and impounded if it is appearing or remaining in a neighborhood or any public place without an apparent home. 190 then supplies the enforcement mechanism for a cat that is causing a problem on someone else's property: upon a written complaint that a cat is trespassing and doing substantial damage to property, trees, shrubs, lawns or gardens, or creating a substantial nuisance that disturbs a person's repose, and once the animal control officer finds probable cause the complaint is valid, the officer may humanely trap or detain the cat, or authorize the complaining property owner to do so directly.
200 sets a pickup and disposition fee, from the county's Unified Fee Schedule, charged to an owner who requests county pickup of a dog or cat, with the director able to reduce or waive the fee in hardship cases.
Violations & Fines
WCC 6.04.190 does not itself impose a criminal penalty on the cat's owner; it authorizes trapping and impoundment as the remedy for a valid nuisance complaint rather than a fine. A trapped or stray cat is disposed of under the chapter's general impound rules, which allow the animal control authority to euthanize an animal that is feral, wild, or suffering from serious illness or injury if humane confinement is not possible, or to place it for adoption once the required holding period expires, provided any new owner agrees in writing to sterilize the cat within a month or upon maturity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Whatcom County require cat owners to license their cats?
Can a neighbor trap a cat that keeps coming onto their property in Whatcom County?
What happens to a cat after it is trapped as a nuisance in Whatcom County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Whatcom County
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