Salt Lake County, UT Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

The ordinance names three overlapping groups: community cats, feral cats, and cats carrying no discernable identification. For any of them, subsection A permits a specific sequence, sterilization, rabies vaccination, ear-tipping, and return, and the return leg is precise: the cat goes back to the location where it congregates. The county ties the program to Utah State Code 11-46-301, so the local rule operates in accordance with the state statute rather than on its own authority. 04 applies to owned cats, while owned cats that go unlicensed remain subject to the licensing penalties found elsewhere in that chapter.

Subsection B gives animal control agencies authority to track feral and unowned community cats using microchips or other means of tracking, so a returned cat can still be identified and monitored even though it carries no license. Subsection C reserves judgment on outcomes: the director or a designee has the discretion to determine the disposition of a community cat, which means return to the field is authorized but not promised in every individual case. The section was adopted through Ordinance 1877 in 2021.