Rialto, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Cats excluded from
- "Stray animal" definition
- At-large impoundment duty
- Expressly excludes cats
- Cats impounded only if
- Sick, injured, abandoned, or surrendered
- Dogs, by contrast
- Fully covered by leash/at-large law
Summary
Unlike dogs, cats are written out of Rialto's at-large and stray-animal rules: the code's own definition of "stray animal" excludes cats, and the director's duty to impound loose animals specifically excludes cats found running at large on private property.
"Animal, Stray. "Stray animal" means any animal (except cats) off the premises of its owner, not under restraint, and not in the immediate presence of its owner or person(s) of reasonable responsibility. ... It shall be the duty of the director or his/her duly authorized representative to take up, impound and provide for safe keeping: A.Any animal (except cats) found running at large or upon any private property, other than that of the owner, contrary to the provisions of this chapter; or...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 39).
Full Breakdown
Rialto's animal control chapter treats cats differently from dogs at nearly every turn. The definitions section states that a "stray animal" is any animal "except cats" that is off its owner's premises and not under restraint (RMC 6.04.010(B)), so a free-roaming cat simply does not meet the code's trigger for stray-animal enforcement the way a loose dog does. That carve-out repeats in the impoundment duties themselves: RMC 6.04.250(A) directs the director to impound any animal "except cats" found running at large or on private property other than the owner's.
The same exclusion appears again in the stray-animal reporting section, RMC 6.04.260(B), which lets a finder deliver a stray animal to the director "except abandoned cats" without fee. In practice this means a cat that wanders the neighborhood is not itself an impoundable at-large violation the way a dog would be; the city's animal control officers still pick up cats that are sick, injured, or abandoned, or that owners voluntarily surrender, under the general impoundment authority in RMC 6.04.250(B) and (C).
Violations & Fines
There is no at-large citation for a roaming cat under RMC 6.04.060 or 6.04.250, since both expressly exclude cats. Other Title 6 requirements that do apply to cat owners, such as the nuisance-noise and inhumane-treatment provisions, still carry the chapter's standard escalating fines under RMC 6.04.300: fifty dollars for a first offense, seventy-five for a second, one hundred plus impoundment for a third.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal for my cat to roam outside in Rialto?
Will Rialto animal control pick up a loose cat?
Does a finder have to turn in a stray cat to the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rialto
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Cat Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle cat rules.