Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for automatically placing contact cuts in integrated circuit layouts, particularly in guard rings, inter-layer via connections, and various space-filling structures typically defined by polygons or paths. Areas to be filled with contact cuts are partitioned horizontally and vertically, and decomposed into shared and exclusive type regions that are sorted directionally. Contact cuts are placed in each region according to its type and according to relevant design rules on contact cut spacing and enclosure constraints. Contact cuts that may cause design rule violations are deleted. Narrow jogs or cuts, merged shared regions, and non-orthogonal edges or segments in the decomposed regions are handled by alternate embodiments. The result is automated contact cut placement, even for merged/chopped layout features, that is generally more symmetric, collinear, and adds an optimal number of contact cuts in most cases than with existing tools.