Rockingham County, VA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- At-large scope for cats
- Roads and highways only (§4-2)
- Cat license required
- No
- Feral colony program
- None in county code
- Companion animal status
- Feral and domestic cats included (§4-7)
- County-wide licensing division
- Dogs only (§4-24)
Summary
Rockingham County counts feral and domestic cats as companion animals under its animal ordinance but regulates them, like any animal, only against roaming on roads and highways. The county has no cat licensing requirement and no ordinance establishing a feral-cat colony or trap-neuter-return program; dogs are the only species licensed and confined county-wide.
It shall be unlawful for any person to permit any animal or fowl owned by him or under his control to run at large upon any road or highway or the right-of-way thereof within the county. ... Companion animal. ... Any domestic or feral dog, domestic or feral cat, non-human primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit not raised for human food or fiber, exotic or native animal, reptile, exotic or native bird, or any feral animal or any animal under the care, custody or ownership of a person or any animal which is bought, sold, traded or bartered by any person. Agricultural animals, game species, or any animals regulated under federal law as research animals shall not be considered companion animals for the purpose of this article.
Full Breakdown
Section 4-2 makes it unlawful for a person to permit 'any animal or fowl' owned by or under that person's control to run at large upon a road, highway or its right-of-way in the county, a rule that covers cats as much as any other animal but reaches only roadways, not yards, subdivisions or open land generally. Section 4-7's definitions, in the article governing dogs, expressly list 'domestic or feral dog, domestic or feral cat' among the species treated as companion animals, alongside guinea pigs, rabbits and exotic pets, while excluding agricultural animals, game species and federally regulated research animals from that term.
Despite recognizing cats as companion animals for cruelty and welfare purposes, the licensing division that follows, beginning at section 4-24, requires only that dogs four months or older be licensed with the county treasurer; no parallel section requires a cat license or tag. -custody procedure apply only to dogs under sections 4-18 through 4-22. Nothing in Chapter 4 authorizes or funds a managed feral cat colony, a trap-neuter-return program, or a registration scheme for cat colony caretakers, so a resident maintaining an outdoor cat colony is not operating under any county permit or exemption; the animal-cruelty provisions of section 4-6, including the ban on killing a dog or cat for its hide, remain the backstop protection for cats regardless of licensing status.
Violations & Fines
Letting any animal, including a cat, roam a road, highway or its right-of-way violates section 4-2, though the section sets no dollar fine of its own; general misdemeanor penalties for chapter violations apply instead. Because there is no cat licensing requirement and no county-wide cat at-large ban, animal control has no citation authority against an owner whose cat roams a yard or subdivision off the roadway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to license my cat in Rockingham County?
Can animal control pick up a stray cat in my neighborhood?
Does the county run a feral cat trap-neuter-return program?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rockingham County
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