Tempe, AZ Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Tempe City Code Sec. 6-26
- Bite quarantine period
- Minimum 7 days
- Quarantine location
- Authorized pound or vet hospital
- Reporting duty
- Immediate, to county enforcement agent
- General penalty
- Misdemeanor under Sec. 6-22 / Sec. 1-7
Summary
Tempe City Code Sec. 6-26 requires any cat that bites a person to be confined and quarantined for at least seven days in an authorized pound or, at the owner's expense, a veterinary hospital, and requires the bite to be reported to the county enforcement agent immediately.
An unlicensed or unvaccinated dog or any cat that bites any person shall be confined and quarantined in an authorized pound or, upon request of and at the expense of the owner, at a veterinary hospital, for a period of not less than seven (7) days. ... Whenever an animal bites any person, the incident shall be reported to the county enforcement agent immediately by any person having direct knowledge.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
,' but unlike dogs, cats are not subject to a City licensing or leash requirement; Sec. 6-27 (unlawful keeping) and the licensing and at-large provisions of Sec. 6-27 through 6-30 apply specifically to dogs. Cats do get direct treatment under Sec. 6-26, which requires that any cat that bites a person, whether or not it is licensed or vaccinated, be confined and quarantined for a minimum of seven days in an authorized pound or, at the owner's request and expense, at a veterinary hospital. The bite must be reported to the county enforcement agent immediately by anyone with direct knowledge of it.
The enforcement agent can destroy the confined cat before the quarantine period ends if it shows clear clinical signs of rabies or if the owner consents to destruction. A cat subject to licensing under the article that is found without an identifying tag is deemed unowned under subsection (f), and it is unlawful under subsection (g) to own or possess any animal, cat included, that has been formally declared 'vicious' by a Justice of the Peace or City Magistrate unless it is restrained, confined or muzzled so it cannot bite or attack.
A vicious animal can only be ordered destroyed by a Justice of the Peace or City Magistrate after notice to the owner and a hearing (subsection (h)). Enforcement is carried out by the county enforcement agent, and it is separately unlawful under Sec. 6-25 to interfere with that agent's performance of duties.
Violations & Fines
Failing to confine and quarantine a biting cat, or failing to report a bite, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 6-22, punishable per the general penalty provisions of Section 1-7 of the Code; owning or possessing a cat formally declared vicious without required restraint, confinement or muzzling is likewise a misdemeanor violation of Chapter 6.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tempe require cats to be licensed like dogs?
What happens if my cat bites someone in Tempe?
Can Tempe destroy a cat after a bite?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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