Sierra County, CA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Cats receive lighter treatment under Sierra County Code Chapter 8.08. The 'at large' definition in Section 8.08.020 is framed around dogs and animals confined by fence or tether; there is no county leash or confinement requirement for owned cats, and the dog-focused at-large prohibition in Section 8.08.140 does not impose a cat leash law. Cat licensing is optional rather than mandatory: Section 8.08.290(J) provides that 'at the request of an owner and upon showing of a valid certificate of rabies vaccination, a license for a cat may be issued' for an annual fee set by the animal control fee resolution. The cat-specific behavioral rule is Section 8.08.330, which states that 'no owner of a domestic cat shall permit or suffer the cat to damage property, public or private, real or personal, or to bite, scratch, or claw any human being or other animal that is on the property of another.' Cats are also covered by the County's quarantine provisions: any cat that bites or exposes a human to rabies, or is bitten by a rabid or suspected-rabid animal, may be isolated or quarantined under conditions set by the Health Officer (Section 8.08.260). California law independently requires rabies control, and most counties run feral-cat and spay/neuter efforts through Animal Control. Owners with questions about feral or stray cats should contact Sierra County Animal Control.