Knox County, TN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Community cat exemption
- Exempt from licensing, stray and at-large rules
- TNR property access
- Advance owner permission required, § 6-32(c)
- Rabies vaccination age
- Required by age three months, § 6-38
- Rabies tag
- Must stay on collar at all times, § 6-39
- Civil penalty
- $50 to $500 per day, § 6-47
- Enforcing agency
- Sheriff's Office animal control division
- Court
- Knox County General Sessions Court
Summary
Knox County exempts eartipped, sterilized "community cats" fed by neighborhood caregivers from licensing, stray and at-large enforcement under County Code Section 6-31 and Section 6-32(c)-(d). Registered Trap/Neuter/Return caregivers may pull cats from Young-Williams Animal Center without proof of ownership or fees, but owned cats over three months old still need a current rabies vaccination tag under Sections 6-38 and 6-39, enforced by the Sheriff's Office animal control division.
Community cat means any free roaming cat that may be cared for by one or more residents of the immediate area who is/are known or unknown. Community cats that are ear-tipped are sterilized and have received at least one vaccination against rabies. Community cats are exempt from any licensing, stray, abandonment and at-large provisions directed towards owned animals. A community cat may also be defined as a cat 'found' outside that is brought to an animal shelter and not yet sterilized/ear tipped. Community cat caregiver means a person who provides care, including food, shelter or medical care to a community cat, while not being considered the owner, custodian, harborer, controller or keeper of a community cat or to have care or charge of a community cat. Caregivers must make reasonable efforts to sterilize and vaccinate cats against rabies. Community cat caregivers may redeem community cats from the shelter without proof of ownership and are exempt from any charges and/or fees.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-31 of the Knox County Code defines a "community cat" as any free-roaming cat cared for by one or more area residents that is ear-tipped, sterilized and has received at least one rabies vaccination, and it expressly exempts community cats from licensing, stray, abandonment and at-large enforcement aimed at owned animals. A "community cat caregiver" who feeds or shelters such a cat is not treated as its owner and is not charged fees to redeem the cat from the shelter. Section 6-32(c) requires TNR caregivers to get advance permission before entering privately-owned property to trap cats, and Section 6-32(d) exempts community cats, along with hunting and herding dogs, from the general at-large prohibition.
Section 6-34(d) separately exempts community cats from the county's numeric pet-count chart. For owned pet cats, Section 6-38 requires rabies vaccination by USDA-approved vaccine, administered by a licensed veterinarian, starting within 30 days after the cat turns three months old, with a first dose valid one year and three-year boosters allowed if certified. Section 6-39 requires the resulting metal rabies tag to be worn on the cat's collar. Any cat that bites a person triggers the quarantine procedure in Section 6-40, including a minimum ten-day confinement at the shelter, a veterinary hospital, or under Sheriff's-office-approved home quarantine if current on vaccination.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of Chapter 6, Article II is a civil infraction under Section 6-47, cited by an animal control officer or law enforcement officer with probable cause. The Knox County General Sessions Court has jurisdiction, and a civil penalty of $50.00 to $500.00 applies, with each day of continuing violation counted as a separate offense. A person who fails to appear waives the right to contest the citation, and the court may enter a default judgment up to the maximum penalty if it goes unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a "community cat" under Knox County's ordinance?
Do I need permission to trap cats on someone else's property for TNR?
Is my pet cat required to carry a rabies tag?
What's the penalty for violating Knox County's cat ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knox County
Compare Knox County to another location·View the Tennessee animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.