Little Rock, AR Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Free-roaming cats citywide
- Requirement
- Implanted microchip, national registry
- Grace period
- 10-day warning notice to comply
- Dangerous-breed dogs
- Also microchip-required, Sec. 6-19
- Enforcement
- Little Rock Animal Services Division
Summary
Little Rock requires owners of free-roaming cats to have them microchipped and registered with a national recovery network, under the city's animal confinement ordinance alongside mandatory sterilization.
(a)Identification. Cat owners shall identify their free-roaming cats by means of a microchip that registers the owner with a national computer recovery network.(b)Sterilization. All free-roaming cats shall be sterilized unless the owner's veterinarian, licensed by the state, certifies in writing that the animal is physically unable to reproduce or that the animal is medically compromised to the extent that it cannot be sterilized safely.(c)Chaining. Direct-point chaining or tethering of cats to a stationary object is prohibited.(d)Warning notice to comply with free-roaming requirements. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article:(1)If the animal services division determines that the owner of a free-roaming cat is not in compliance with the microchipping and sterilization requirements of this section; and(2)If a prior warning notice to comply with the microchipping and sterilization requirements has not been issued for that animal; then the owner shall be given a warning notice to comply with the microchipping and sterilization requirements within ten (10) days, with documented proof of such compliance or a letter to document the owner's intent to keep the animal indoors submitted to the animal services division within that ten (10) day period. (Ord. No. 20,121, § 3, 6-16-09)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 83).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 6-28(a) of the Little Rock Code, any cat that goes outside a house, business, or a fully enclosed, topped yard counts as "free-roaming" and must be identified by an implanted microchip registered with a national computer recovery network, on top of the sterilization duty in subsection (b). If Animal Services finds a free-roaming cat out of compliance, it issues a ten-day warning notice requiring proof of microchipping and sterilization, or a written commitment to keep the cat indoors. Separately, Sec. 6-19(c)(3) requires any dog registered as a potentially dangerous breed, including pit bulls, to carry a veterinarian-implanted microchip for as long as it stays in the city.
Violations & Fines
A first violation draws a ten-day written warning from Animal Services to microchip and sterilize the cat, or commit in writing to indoor confinement; potentially dangerous breed dogs found without a microchip are out of compliance with their permit and subject to citation and seizure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Little Rock require microchipping all pets?
What happens if my free-roaming cat isn't microchipped?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Little Rock
Compare Little Rock to another location·View the Arkansas animal ordinances overview
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