Waterloo, IA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Under article A of the animal control chapter, the owner of every dog and cat six months of age or older must obtain an annual license from the police department or its designee under section 5-1A-2, applying within 30 days after acquiring the cat or the cat turning six months old, stating the cat's breed, sex, age, color, markings and rabies vaccination date. The license fee and any duplicate tag fee are set periodically by city council resolution, and an unpaid license becomes delinquent, with an added penalty, 30 days after it is due.

Section 5-1A-6A separately makes it unlawful for an owner or caretaker to permit a cat to be at large; proof of ownership plus proof the cat was at large creates a prima facie presumption the cat was loose with the owner's permission. Waterloo also targets colony feeding directly: subsection D makes it unlawful for anyone to feed a cat that is at large without a collar, license tag or embedded ownership chip, unless the person is an authorized participant in a city-sponsored trap, neuter and release program, which is the city's carve-out for managed feral colonies.

A cat found at large may be impounded under section 5-1A-9, and if not redeemed within five days of notice, or three days if unidentified, it may be humanely destroyed, sold or donated. A cat apprehended at large a third time in a calendar year triggers a mandatory spay or neuter requirement before redemption. Unless a section states a different penalty, a violation of article A is a municipal infraction under section 5-1A-10, decided by Ordinance 5204 in 2014 and amended by Ordinance 5684 in 2023 and Ordinance 5783 in 2024.