Tazewell County, IL Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Tazewell County does not require ordinary house cats to be individually licensed, but it regulates unowned cats through two paths. 24 creates a Barn Cat Caretaker License: caretakers apply annually by January 31 and pay a $10 fee, and the license requires every cat over four months old to be vaccinated against rabies, all cats to be spayed or neutered, continuous food, water, shelter and veterinary care, and no more than three chapter violations in the preceding three years. 23(G). 02(B)(6) exempts a feral cat caretaker enrolled in a trap, spay/neuter, vaccinate, and return program from the county's at-large confinement requirement, so a managed colony cat is not treated as a stray running loose.

21(A)(2), unless one is brought to a veterinarian for sterilization, in which case it must be vaccinated at that visit at the presenter's expense. 25 lets the Animal Shelter Manager revoke a barn cat caretaker license for three months to five years after a second chapter violation, and a revoked caretaker must reapply and demonstrate compliance before getting the license back; the Administrator may also order the cats impounded upon revocation unless the owner comes into compliance.