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Thurston County, WA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Some Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Unsterilized cat license: $18 per year
Sterilized cat/kitten license: $10 per year
Senior discount: $16 / $4 per year
Voluntary other-pet license: $6 per year
License term: 1 year from issuance
Cat at-large trigger: Owner objects and traps cat
Tag removal penalty: Gross misdemeanor

Summary

Thurston County licenses cats much like it licenses dogs: Section 9.10.040(E) sets annual fees of $18 for an unsterilized cat and $10 for a sterilized cat or kitten under six months, with reduced senior rates. Section 9.10.030 separately makes a cat "at large" if it is on property where the owner objects and has humanely trapped or contained it, whether or not the cat is licensed.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Thurston County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

E.Annual License Fees. Annual license for cats which are not sterilized 18.00; Annual license for cats which are sterilized or are under six months of age 10.00; Annual license for cats which are not sterilized and whose owners are low income senior citizens as identified in RCW 84.36.381(5)(b)(ii) 16.00; Annual license for cats which are sterilized and whose owners are low income senior citizens as identified in RCW 84.36.381(5)(b)(ii) 4.00. ...4.When a cat, licensed or not, is on property where the property owner or tenant objects to the presence of the cat and has humanely trapped or otherwise contained the cat.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).

Full Breakdown

381(5)(b)(ii) pay $16 or $4 respectively. Owners may also register a cat under a $6 voluntary other-pet license. 040(C) allows tattooing or microchipping only as supplemental identification, not a substitute for the tag. 040(F), (G)). 030, a cat, licensed or not, is at large when it is on property where the owner or tenant objects to its presence and has humanely trapped or otherwise contained the cat. That means a roaming cat is not automatically in violation everywhere; the at-large status attaches only once a property owner objects and has taken the added step of trapping or containing the animal. 060(A), and animal services must attempt to notify the owner of the impoundment, the reason, and the timeline for reclaiming it.

Violations & Fines

A cat that meets the property owner's trapped-and-objected-to at-large trigger in Section 9.10.030 exposes its owner to the same civil infraction schedule the county uses for all at-large pet animals: a Class 4 infraction on a first violation, stepping up to a Class 3 infraction on a second or later violation. Separately, removing a required license tag without the owner's or issuing authority's permission, outside a medical emergency, is a gross misdemeanor under Section 9.10.040(H).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Thurston County require cat licenses?

The county's fee schedule in Section 9.10.040(E) sets annual cat license rates: $18 for an unsterilized cat, $10 for a sterilized cat or kitten under six months, with lower senior-citizen rates of $16 and $4. Licenses run one year from issuance and are non-transferable between animals under Section 9.10.040(F) and (G).

When is a cat considered 'at large' in Thurston County?

Section 9.10.030 defines a cat as at large, licensed or not, only when it is on property where the owner or tenant objects to its presence and has humanely trapped or otherwise contained the cat. Simply roaming outdoors does not by itself trigger at-large status the way it can for an unleashed dog.

Can I remove my cat's Thurston County license tag?

Only with the permission of the owner or the issuing authority, or in a medical emergency. Section 9.10.040(H) makes it unlawful for anyone to remove a pet animal's license tag or to obliterate a registered tattoo or microchip outside those circumstances, and a violation is a gross misdemeanor.

Sources & Official References

[1]Thurston County Code § 9.10.040 (Municode)

Other rules in Thurston County

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All Thurston County rules

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