Tuscaloosa, AL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Sec. 4-13, adopted September 10, 1996 by Ord. No. 5405, Sec. 4, makes it unlawful for any person to keep or board more than three cats on their premises within the city. The exemption for kittens under three months old means a household with three adult cats and a fresh litter is not automatically in violation, but once those kittens age past three months they count toward the cap like any other cat. The section includes a grandfather clause: 'a violation of this section existing at the adoption of this section may continue,' so a household that already had, say, five cats before the 1996 ordinance was not required to give any up.

That grandfathering is not permanent growth room, though, since subsection (b) specifically bars 'additional cats' beyond whatever number existed at adoption, meaning a grandfathered household cannot replace a cat that dies with a new one if doing so would keep them above three. The cat cap sits alongside the separate general-nuisance duty in Sec. 4-12, which requires every cat or dog owner in the city to prevent their animal from damaging property, chasing or attacking people, or creating unsanitary conditions, regardless of how many animals they keep.

There is no equivalent numeric cap in the code for dogs; Sec. 4-13 by its own caption and text applies only to cats. Enforcement runs through the city's animal control officers under Sec. 4-3, who can investigate complaints and issue citations for violations of any animal ordinance in the chapter.