St. Tammany Parish, LA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Establishment mandate
- microchip all animals 6+ months old
- Establishment permit fee
- $250 per year
- Community cat requirement
- microchip, sterilize, vaccinate, ear-tip
- Dangerous animal proof
- microchip ID required before release
- Ordinary pets
- no blanket mandate, only rabies tag required
Summary
St. Tammany Parish doesn't require microchips for every household pet, but it does mandate them for specific categories: licensed animal establishments like pet shops, kennels and grooming shops must microchip every animal six months or older under Sec. 10-668, and cats enrolled in the parish's community cat program must be microchipped under Sec. 10-670 before they qualify for the program's licensing exemption.
(13)Animal establishments shall be required to microchip all animals who are six months of age or older. ... Sec. 10-670. - Community cat management. (a)All cats that are part of the community cat management programs shall be: (1)Assessed by a veterinarian and deemed healthy;(2)Sterilized;(3)Microchipped;(4)Vaccinated against the threat of rabies; and(5)Ear-tipped for easy identification. ... Sec. 10-660(a)(3): The owner and/or keeper shall provide satisfactory proof that the animal has been vaccinated and has received a microchip identification tag.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
00 annual establishment permit under subsection (a)(6). Separately, Sec. 10-670(a) requires every cat enrolled in the parish's community cat management program to be assessed healthy by a veterinarian, sterilized, microchipped, vaccinated against rabies, and ear-tipped before the cat qualifies for the program's exemption from ordinary licensing, stray and at-large enforcement. A third microchip duty sits in the dangerous-animal article: under Sec. 10-660(a)(3) and (b)(3), an owner whose animal has been designated potentially dangerous or dangerous must give the department of animal services satisfactory proof the animal has been vaccinated and has received a microchip identification tag before the animal can be released from impoundment.
Outside of these three regulated categories, that is commercial animal establishments, community cats, and dangerous-animal designees, the general licensing section, Sec. 10-648, only requires a rabies tag on the collar; it does not itself mandate microchipping for an ordinary owned dog or cat kept as a household pet.
Violations & Fines
An animal establishment that skips the six-month microchip requirement can lose its $250.00 annual permit after a written notice-and-cure period, face a bureau of administrative adjudication hearing, or be issued a misdemeanor summons under Sec. 10-668(b). A community cat that isn't microchipped under Sec. 10-670(a) simply doesn't qualify for the program's licensing exemption and remains subject to ordinary stray and at-large enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does St. Tammany Parish require every dog and cat to be microchipped?
Do pet shops and grooming shops have to microchip the animals they handle?
What does a community cat caretaker need before the cat is exempt from licensing?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana animal ordinances overview
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