West Jordan, UT Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- At 4 months old
- Licensing window
- 30 days to license
- Renewal requirement
- Current rabies vaccination proof
- Colony caretaker permit
- Required to feed strays legally
- Record keeping
- Sterilization records kept 3 years
- Enforcement presumption
- Untagged cat presumed unlicensed
Summary
Every cat in West Jordan must carry a City license once it turns four months old, renewed each year with proof of rabies vaccination, through the Division of Animal Control. Cats enrolled in a registered community cat colony are exempt from licensing and feeding-ban rules once their caretaker holds a City permit.
A. License Required: All dogs and cats must be licensed each year to a person eighteen (18) years or older, except as per section 6-3B-3 of this article or as otherwise provided herein. B. Time Limits For Licensing: Any owner or custodian of a dog or cat shall obtain a license for such animal within thirty (30) days after the dog or cat reaches the age of four (4) months, or, in the case of a dog or cat over four (4) months of age, within thirty (30) days of the date of acquisition, ownership, or possession of the dog or cat. ... Pursuant to Utah Code section 11-46-304, community cat caretakers must register with the City's Animal Control Division and receive a community cat caretaker permit identifying the approximate location of the community cat colonies they intend to care for.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-38: Code current through: Ord. 26-33, passed 6-23-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-3B-1 requires every dog and cat owner eighteen or older to license the animal, applying within thirty days after it turns four months old or within thirty days of acquiring an older cat. Renewal is annual, on a standard Division of Animal Control form listing the owner's name, address, phone number and the animal's breed, sex, color and age, and every renewal needs a current rabies vaccination certificate before the Division will accept it; fees follow the City Council's uniform fee schedule. C separately governs community cats under Utah Code section 11-46-301 et seq.
The Animal Control Division runs a community cat program that traps, evaluates and releases healthy cats near where they were picked up rather than holding them for the normal five-day period, and a community cat is exempt from both licensing and the City's feeding bans. To run a colony legally, a caretaker must register with the Animal Control Division, pay a permitting fee from the consolidated fee schedule, and either mail notice to nearby property owners or post a sign identifying the caretaking activity; caretakers must keep sterilization and vaccination records for at least three years and produce them to an animal control officer on request.
Community cat sponsors and caretakers do not gain legal custody of colony cats under section 76-9-301 of the Utah Code or the City's own definition in section 6-3A-1. A cat found without a tag is presumed unlicensed for enforcement purposes.
Violations & Fines
An unlicensed cat is presumed unlicensed if it isn't wearing its tag, and the Division of Animal Control can impound it under section 6-3C-3. Chapter-wide, any violation of the animal control title can be prosecuted administratively under title 16 or charged as a Class B misdemeanor under section 6-3G-1, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to license my cat in West Jordan?
Can I legally care for a colony of feral cats?
What happens if animal control picks up my cat and it has no tag?
Sources & Official References
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