Duluth, MN Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Section 6-5 of the Duluth Legislative Code requires that all dogs and cats placed for adoption by the city animal shelter or by nonprofit groups such as humane societies, placement agencies or rescue groups be spayed or neutered before the adopting party takes possession. Every adopted animal must also be examined by a licensed veterinarian and vaccinated against rabies, and an animal known to carry a contagious disease cannot be adopted out until it is healthy and no longer contagious. The animal control authority may run a cooperative sterilization and vaccination program to complete this work before custody transfers, though it cannot sterilize an animal that has already been reclaimed by its owner or whose reclaim period has not expired.

The authority can also deny an adoption if the applicant shows an unwillingness to follow the adoption agreement or Chapter 6. Each adoption closes with a certificate listing the animal's description, health records, adoption fee, and the names and addresses of both organization and adopter, kept on file for two years for inspection by the animal control authority. Outside adoptions, Duluth does not order every pet owner to alter their animal, but Section 6-12 ties alteration to licensing status: a dog or cat under one year may get an annual compliant license regardless of alteration, but any dog or cat over one year must be altered to qualify for a compliant license, and altered animals pay a license fee that is, at most, half the fee charged for an unaltered animal.