Kauai County, HI Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Section 22-24.5, part of the Cat Microchipping Program adopted by Ordinance No. 965 in 2014 and amended by Ordinance No. 1093 in 2021, effectively mandates sterilization for any cat that is not kept exclusively confined to its owner's property: once a cat over three months old is at large, defined in Section 22-24.1 as being on someone else's premises without consent or in any public place, it must already have been sterilized by a veterinarian. The rule works alongside the Article's microchip and impoundment provisions.

If an unsterilized cat is picked up and released to the Animal Control Provider, the Kaua'i Humane Society, Section 22-24.4 requires the Provider to spay or neuter any impounded cat before adoption unless a veterinarian certifies the cat is too sick or injured or that sterilization would otherwise harm its health. Under Section 22-24.7, an owner who wants to reclaim an impounded cat that has not been sterilized must pay a redemption fee of $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second, and $75 for a third or later offense, or may instead choose to have the Provider sterilize the cat before reclaiming it.

Section 22-24.11 sets the Article's general penalty scale: a fine of $100 to $200 for a first violation of any provision in the Article, $200 to $300 for a second, and $300 to $500 for a third or subsequent violation, on top of any redemption or impoundment fee already owed.