Rock County, WI Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing statute
- Wis. Stat. Sec. 95.21(4), (5), (10)
- County cat license
- none exists
- Quarantine trigger
- bite, infection, or rabies contact
- Delivery deadline
- isolation facility within 24 hours
- Quarantine-refusal penalty
- $100-$1,000 or 60 days
- Other-violation forfeiture
- up to $50
Summary
Rock County has no cat-licensing scheme, but it does adopt Wisconsin's rabies-control law for cats: an officer who has reason to believe a cat bit someone or was exposed to rabies must quarantine it, with delivery to an isolation facility within 24 hours of the order. Refusing to comply, or any other section violation, can draw a forfeiture.
95.21(4)(a) Quarantine or sacrifice of dog or cat. Except as provided in par. (d), an officer shall order a dog or cat quarantined if the officer has reason to believe that the animal bit a person, is infected with rabies or has been in contact with a rabid animal. If a quarantine cannot be imposed because the dog or cat cannot be captured, the officer may kill the animal... The officer shall attempt to kill the animal in a humane manner. (5)(a) An officer who orders a dog or cat to be quarantined shall deliver the animal ... to an isolation facility as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours after the original order is issued or the officer may order the animal quarantined on the premises of the owner if the animal is immunized currently against rabies. (10)(c) A person who violates any provision of this section not specified under pars. (a) and (b) may be required to forfeit up to $50.
Full Breakdown
21(4) and (5) apply equally to cats. 21(4)(a), Quarantine or sacrifice of dog or cat, an officer shall order a dog or cat quarantined if the officer has reason to believe the animal bit a person, is infected with rabies, or has been in contact with a rabid animal; if the animal cannot be captured, the officer may kill it, but only as a last resort or with the owner's agreement, and must do so in a humane manner that avoids damage to the animal's head.
21(5)(a) requires the officer to deliver the cat, or order it delivered, to an isolation facility as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours after the order, unless the officer instead quarantines it on the owner's premises because the animal is currently immunized against rabies with a valid certificate. 209(3)(C), showing the county enforces the state standard directly rather than writing a separate cat ordinance; there is no local at-large or feral-colony rule for cats distinct from the state quarantine scheme, and no county cat license requirement exists at all.
21(10): failing to obtain a required rabies vaccination is a $50 to $100 forfeiture, refusing a quarantine order is a fine of $100 to $1,000 or up to 60 days imprisonment or both, and any other violation of the section not otherwise specified may draw a forfeiture of up to $50.
Violations & Fines
Refusing to comply with a quarantine order for a cat, or failing to deliver it to an isolation facility as ordered, is a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, or imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both, under Wis. Stat. Section 95.21(10)(b). Any other violation of the rabies-control section not otherwise specified draws a forfeiture of up to $50 under Section 95.21(10)(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rock County require cats to be licensed?
What happens if my cat bites someone?
Can the county quarantine my cat at home instead of a shelter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock County
Compare Rock County to another location·View the Wisconsin animal ordinances overview
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