R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-24-4
This is the official text of R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-24-4, part of Rhode Island’s Gen. Laws — part of the compiled statutory law of Rhode Island, published by the state as "Gen. Laws." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 4-24-4. Breeding permits.
Official statutory text
(a) No person shall cause or allow any cat owned or harbored in the city or town in which they live to breed without first obtaining a breeding permit under this section.
(b) Each city or town animal control officer shall administer a permit program to allow the breeding of cats consistent with criteria and according to procedures contained in the city or town ordinances; provided, however, that where citys or towns have ordinances, specifically prohibiting the breeding of cats it shall be the citys or towns ordinances that shall govern with respect to that subsection or provision only.
(c) Each applicant who is issued a permit to breed cats under this section shall pay an annual breeding permit fee of one hundred dollars ($100) per cat.
(d) No person shall cause or allow the breeding of a male or female cat without first obtaining a breeding permit issued by the animal control officer. Breeding permits shall be valid for twelve (12) months, renewable on an annual basis for a fee of one hundred dollars ($100) per cat. Herein, all breeding permits shall contain the following terms and conditions and be subject to all of the following requirements:
(1) No offspring may be sold or adopted and permanently placed until reaching an age of at least eight (8) weeks;
(2) No offspring may be sold or adopted until immunized against common diseases as determined by the director of environmental management in accordance with chapter 4 of this title to be contagious or injurious to public health or to the health of other animals;
(3) Any permit holder advertising to the public the availability of any animal for adoption or sale must prominently display the permit number in any publications in which they advertise. The permit number must be provided to any person adopting or purchasing any animal bred by the permit holder; and
(4) The breeding permit holder shall adhere to minimum standards regarding the care and keeping of animals pursuant to chapter 19 of this title.
(b) Each city or town animal control officer shall administer a permit program to allow the breeding of cats consistent with criteria and according to procedures contained in the city or town ordinances; provided, however, that where citys or towns have ordinances, specifically prohibiting the breeding of cats it shall be the citys or towns ordinances that shall govern with respect to that subsection or provision only.
(c) Each applicant who is issued a permit to breed cats under this section shall pay an annual breeding permit fee of one hundred dollars ($100) per cat.
(d) No person shall cause or allow the breeding of a male or female cat without first obtaining a breeding permit issued by the animal control officer. Breeding permits shall be valid for twelve (12) months, renewable on an annual basis for a fee of one hundred dollars ($100) per cat. Herein, all breeding permits shall contain the following terms and conditions and be subject to all of the following requirements:
(1) No offspring may be sold or adopted and permanently placed until reaching an age of at least eight (8) weeks;
(2) No offspring may be sold or adopted until immunized against common diseases as determined by the director of environmental management in accordance with chapter 4 of this title to be contagious or injurious to public health or to the health of other animals;
(3) Any permit holder advertising to the public the availability of any animal for adoption or sale must prominently display the permit number in any publications in which they advertise. The permit number must be provided to any person adopting or purchasing any animal bred by the permit holder; and
(4) The breeding permit holder shall adhere to minimum standards regarding the care and keeping of animals pursuant to chapter 19 of this title.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Rhode Island?
Find a Rhode Island lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.