Novato, CA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Section 3-4.1 of the Novato Municipal Code requires microchipping of every cat over the age of four months. Novato sits in Marin County, California, and the section's history note cites Ordinance No. 1640, dated June 12, 2018. The duty falls on the owner, and the section defines owner broadly: any person who owns, harbors or has custody or control of a cat at their residence.

The chip must be injected under the cat's skin. Visible identification through tags or other means is permitted but cannot replace the chip. The one alternative is a veterinary certification: when a licensed veterinarian certifies that inserting a microchip would be injurious to the cat's health, an alternative means of identification is accepted instead.

Section 3-4.3 lists who is exempt from the microchip duty. The list covers a cat brought into the city for up to 30 days solely to enter a show or exhibition, a cat owned for breeding by a person holding all required licenses and permits, a cat owned by a nonresident traveling through for up to 30 days, a nonresident's cat found in the city while wearing visible tags or carrying a microchip, and a cat sent into the city for veterinary care and kept strictly confined with a veterinarian whose business is in the city. Residents who care for or feed cats that are not owned are not to be discouraged or penalized.

Enforcement sits with the Marin Humane Society under Section 3-4.5. The Society must offer no-cost or low-cost chipping to owners found in violation who certify in writing that they cannot afford all or some of the remedies. Under Section 3-4.6 it reports to the Novato City Council every year on its cat interactions, field responses within the city limits, processing costs and revenues, program goals and recommended changes.