Madison County, IL Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Under § 50.045(A), the Madison County Animal Care and Control Department may not release a dog or cat that goes unredeemed by its owner unless the animal has first been rendered incapable of reproduction and microchipped. Section 50.045(B) blocks a shelter from handing animals to a rescue-group representative unless that group is licensed by the state Department of Agriculture or is a recognized out-of-state nonprofit; a rescue group that receives an animal may only pass it to another licensed rescue or shelter, and the Administrator must report any shelter that breaks this rule to the state Department of Agriculture for investigation.

Humane societies, rescue groups and animal welfare organizations keep their own charter activities under § 50.046 as long as they do not conflict with this chapter or state law. The companion adoption rule at § 50.150(B) repeats the same floor for any animal placed for adoption: no dog or cat leaves the facility for a new home unless it has been sterilized and microchipped, and adoptions carry a posted fee plus a $100 charge referenced in § 50.150(E). Anyone who buys or takes ownership of an impounded dog must also cover its rabies inoculation and registration under § 50.047, though a feral cat only needs a rabies shot when it is being sterilized.

These sections make sterilization a release condition rather than a general ownership mandate: an owner who already has an unaltered pet at home commits no violation of Chapter 50 by that fact alone.