Prescott Valley, AZ Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

The Town Code regulates cats through two sections rather than through a cat license. Section 6-01-050 requires licenses for dogs three months of age or older, and Section 6-01-110 is titled and written for dogs, so neither the license nor the at-large rule extends to cats by its text.

Section 6-01-120(B) covers bites. An unvaccinated dog or cat that bites any person is confined and quarantined in a Town-authorized pound or, on the owner's request and at the owner's expense, in a veterinary hospital for a period of not less than ten days. The quarantine starts on the day of the bite incident, or on the first day of impoundment if the day of the bite is not known. A cat impounded after a bite is also subject to the release conditions in subsection C, which include prior sterilization.

Section 6-01-130 covers impounded strays. Each stray dog or cat is held at the Town-authorized pound for a minimum of seventy-two hours, or one hundred twenty hours if it carries a microchip or any other discernible form of owner identification, unless claimed or surrendered. After that the animal can be made available for adoption, no impounded animal can be used for medical research or experimentation, and an unclaimed animal not adopted can be humanely euthanized.

Subsection B creates a stray cat exception, aimed at outdoor cats. An impounded stray cat eligible for sterilization under A.R.S. § 11-1022 that will be returned to the vicinity where it was originally captured is exempt from the mandatory holding period. Eligible means a cat that is living outdoors, lacks discernable identification, is of sound health and possesses its claws. An owner or agent reclaiming a cat furnishes proof of the right to reclaim it and pays the impound and board fees in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule.