General Animal Licensing Requirements

Contents

• About Animal Licensing
• Ordinance Provisions Requiring Animal Licenses
• Rabies Certification Required to License
• Lifetime Animal License Provisions
• Permanent License Tags
• Penalty Provisions for Failure to Obtain License

About Animal Licensing

According to AWC's 2006 Municipal Tax & User Fee Survey, 218 Washington cities and towns have some kind animal control licensing provisions. A MRSC survey found that 21 counties have licensing provisions either countywide or in dog control zones. Licensing requirements vary. Some jurisdictions require only dogs be licensed, while others require licensing for for both dogs and cats. Some provide for optional registration for cats.

Licensing requirement generally provide lower fee incentives for animals that have been spayed or neutered, some require it as a condition of licensing. AWC's Municipal Tax & User Fee Survey also lists dog and cat license fees charged by Washington municipalities.

Rabies inoculations are also listed among the licensing requirements. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) recommends that "Local governments should initiate and maintain effective programs to ensure vaccination of all dogs, cats, and ferrets and to remove strays and unwanted animals. Such procedures in the United States have reduced laboratory confirmed cases in dogs from 6,949 in 1947 to 76 in 2005. Because more rabies cases are reported annually involving cats (265 in 2005) than dogs, vaccination of cats should be required." See Compendium of Animal Rabies Control, 2007 ( 120 KB),  National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) .

Ordinance Provisions Requiring Animal Licenses

See also Cat Control Provisions

• Chelan Municipal Code
  • Section 6.05.030 - License Fees (Altered dog or cat)
  • Section 6.05.050 - Excess Pet License  -  More than 3 dogs or cats subject to zoning
• Clark County Code Chapter 8.07 -Dog Licensing
• Lakewood Municipal Code Chapter 6.06  - Licensing Dogs and Cats
• Seattle Municipal Code Section 9.25.020 - Animal Licenses Generally
• Spokane Municipal Code Section 10.24.010 - Licensed Required
• Sumner Municipal Code Section 6.04.030 - Dog and Cat Licensing.
• Wenatchee Municipal Code Chapter 5.28 - License - Animals - Provisions for dogs and cats; and requires excess license for more than three dogs or cats.
• Thurston County Code Section. 9.10.040 - Licensing and Registration Requirements

Rabies Certification Required to License

• The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) has recommended methods or procedures which enhance rabies control include the following:
  
  (a) IDENTIFICATION. Dogs, cats, and ferrets should be identified (e.g., metal or plastic tags or microchips) to allow for verification of rabies vaccination status.
  (b) LICENSURE. Registration or licensure of all dogs, cats, and ferrets may be used to aid in rabies control. A fee is frequently charged for such licensure, and revenues collected are used to maintain rabies- or animal-control programs. Evidence of current vaccination is an essential prerequisite to licensure.
  (c) CANVASSING. House-to-house canvassing by animal control officials facilitates enforcement of vaccination and licensure requirements.
  (d) CITATIONS. Citations are legal summonses issued to owners for violations, including the failure to vaccinate or license their animals. The authority for officers to issue citations should be an integral part of each animal control program.
  (e) ANIMAL CONTROL. All communities should incorporate stray animal control, leash laws, animal bite prevention, and training of personnel in their programs.
  (f) PUBLIC EDUCATION. All communities should incorporate educational programs covering responsible pet ownership, bite prevention, and appropriate veterinary care. From:  Compendium of Animal Rabies Control,2007, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians
  
• Model Rabies Control Ordinance  American Veterinary Medical Association, 2007 
• Clark County Code Section 8.07.030 - Dog license - Vaccination required.
• Douglas County Code Section 6.03.130 - Rabies Control 
• Kennewick Municipal Code Chapter 8.02.190 (2) ( 2.49 MB) -  Requires dog or cat to have certificate of vaccination
• Seattle Municipal Code Section 9.25.049 - Rabies vaccination required (dogs and cats).

Lifetime Animal License Provisions

Some cities and towns have provided for a lifetime altered dog and/or cat license. Those noted in AWC's 2006 Municipal Tax & User Fee Survey are Aberdeen, Arlington, Asotin, Bainbridge Island, Bridgeport, Brier, Camas, Clarkston,  Colton, Darrington, Enumclaw,  Forks, Lake Stevens,  Lynnwood, Marysville, Medina, Metaline Falls, Mill Creek, Monroe, New Castle, Ocean Shores, Port Orchard, Poulsbo, Puyallup, Sedro-Woolley, Selah, Sultan, Tieton, Tonasket, Union Town, Washougal,  and Woodway. If lifetime license provisions are enacted, consideration should be given to the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians  recommendations noted above for rabies control.

• Bainbridge Municipal Code Chapter 6.08 - Licensing of Dogs and Cats
• Lynnwood Municipal Code Section 6.02.020 (B)(2) - Licensing (Spayed or neutered cats and dogs)
• Mercer Island Municipal Code Section 7.04.050  - Special permanent license – Purchase by residents 65 years of age or older

Permanent License Tags

Most jurisdictions issue new tags every time a license is renewed.  A few cities issue permanent tags.  Here are a few samples -- mostly from out of state.

• Seattle Animal Shelter  Replacement Tags  - Provides for 1 or 2 year license
• Long Beach CA  Dog  License Information
• Deschutes County Oregon  Dog Licensing  
• Sacramento, CA - Animal License Information  - provides for a 1 or 3 year license and issues a permanent tag

Penalty Provisions for Failure to Obtain License

• Brier Ordinance No. 145C - Animals not licensed are declared public nuisances subject to impoundment. Penalties are, if no injury to a person's property, or animals: class A civil infraction for first offense, class B civil infraction for second offense, class C for third offense. Fourth offense is punishable by a misdemeanor.
• Douglas County Code Section 6.04.360 - Failure to obtain, display or produce registration or license. Also
  Chapter 6.04 Article 6 - Infractions
• Edmonds Municipal Code Chapter 5.05 Animal Control - Section 5.05.115 All violations of this chapter are declared public nuisances.  Also Section 5.05.127.4 Failure to Spay or Neuter
• Lakewood Municipal Code Chapter 6.06.060 - Penalty for Violation - Civil infraction not to exceed $250, but if evidence of valid license presented to court, the charge is dismissed upon payment of court fees.
• Pasco Municipal Code Section 8.02.360 - Graduated penalty. Pasco also provides for door-to-door canvassing.
• Seattle Municipal Code Section 9.25.080 - Offenses relating to licensing. and Section 9.25.100 (D) - Penalty clause.
• Wenatchee Municipal Code Sections 5.28.160 - 220 Enforcement Provisions and  Section 5.28.230 - Penalty 

Return to Animal Control Administration
Return to Animal Control Contents