Riverside, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- At-large restriction
- None: cats expressly excluded, §8.04.080
- Dog at-large rule
- Separate leash law, §8.04.050
- Cat licensing chapter
- None; Ch. 8.12 covers dogs only
- Waste duty
- Must pick up cat waste off your property, §8.04.150
- Cattery threshold
- 10+ cats triggers license, §8.18.020
Summary
Riverside has no leash law or at-large restriction for cats. RMC §8.04.080 bans letting 'any animal, except a cat' roam unsupervised in public: the carve-out means free-roaming cats aren't a Code violation the way a loose dog is under the separate leash law at §8.04.050. Cat owners still owe a poop-scoop duty under §8.04.150.
No person owning or having possession, charge, custody or control of any animal, except a cat, shall cause, permit or allow such animal to be at large upon any street, lane, alley, court or other public place unless under the immediate effective physical control of a competent person or under the immediate vocal control of said person; provided, however, the provisions of Section 8.04.050 of this chapter shall govern as to dogs. ... It is the duty of each person in control of a dog or cat to promptly dispose of their pet's solid waste deposited on any property, public or private, not owned or possessed by that person.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
Section 8.04.080, titled 'Animals at large,' bars any animal from being loose in a street, lane, alley, court or other public place without a competent person's physical or vocal control, except it expressly writes cats out of that prohibition: 'No person owning or having possession, charge, custody or control of any animal, except a cat, shall cause, permit or allow such animal to be at large.' Dogs get their own separate leash-law provision at §8.04.050, so the cat exemption in §8.04.080 isn't just an oversight, it's a deliberate structural choice that leaves Riverside without any citywide restriction on free-roaming, unowned, or outdoor cats.
There's also no dedicated cat-licensing chapter; Chapter 8.12 is titled 'Dog Licenses' only, and the mandatory microchipping and spay/neuter duties in Chapter 8.21 apply to owned cats but don't require a license tag the way dogs need one. What does apply to cats: the general sanitary-conditions duty in §8.04.025 (keep the premises where any animal is kept clean of feces and food waste that draws pests), and §8.04.150's specific duty for 'each person in control of a dog or cat to promptly dispose of their pet's solid waste deposited on any property, public or private, not owned or possessed by that person', a pooper-scooper rule that reaches beyond your own yard.
Cats kept in numbers of ten or more, four months or older, on residential property still trigger the residential-cattery license under §8.18.020, regardless of the at-large exemption.
Violations & Fines
Because §8.04.080 doesn't reach cats, there's no at-large citation risk for a free-roaming cat itself. Failing the §8.04.150 waste-disposal duty, or the §8.04.025 sanitary-conditions duty, is enforced under the City's general penalty provision at §1.01.110: up to $250 for an infraction or up to $1,000 and six months in jail for a misdemeanor, with each day of a continuing violation charged separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my cat legally roam outside in Riverside?
Do I need to license my cat in Riverside?
Is there a rule against feral cat colonies in Riverside?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Cat Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle cat rules.