What you need to know about pet licensing right now, served
up by the LMC Research and Information Service team.
Definition: A pet is usually a domestic or tamed animal kept
for companionship or pleasure. A license is a permit from an authority to own a
pet.
Plain-language translation: Cities have the authority to require that residents register their pets with the city. The licensing requirements are different in each city but usually require a small fee to cover the cost of administering licenses, proof of vaccination, and a tag to include on the pet’s collar to use as identification. Residents may need to obtain a new license every year or it may be good for the lifetime of the pet.
Plain-language translation: Cities have the authority to require that residents register their pets with the city. The licensing requirements are different in each city but usually require a small fee to cover the cost of administering licenses, proof of vaccination, and a tag to include on the pet’s collar to use as identification. Residents may need to obtain a new license every year or it may be good for the lifetime of the pet.
In the news: Traditional pet licensing of dogs and cats is
pretty common and not usually so newsworthy. Many cities have recently applied
some of the pet licensing principles to the keeping of backyard chickens in
urban settings, which has attracted some attention. See Coon
Rapids and Jordan for examples.
Pros: Local law enforcement often gets calls for dogs
running loose, missing pets and the like. Having a licensing system often
allows pets to be reunited with their owners sooner. Many cities that license
require pets be vaccinated against diseases like rabies as a way to provide a healthier
animal population. And, having an animal control ordinance often limits the
number of pets allowed per residence as a way to control for health and safety
of the community.
Cons: City staff time will need to be devoted to licensing
pets, following up on complaints, as well as catching and boarding animals.
Some cities have staff do all of these jobs while others have office staff
issue pet licenses and contract with a third-party for the animal control
operations.
League position: Cities should consider the pros and cons
and make a decision that is best for the city with the available resources. If
the city does not have a licensing ordinance, the county may have ordinances
about licensing and regulating dogs running loose that apply to city residents.
If there is an applicable county ordinance, the city clerk should be familiar
with his or her responsibilities under that ordinance.
Resources: Want additional information on pet licensing?
Check out the League’s memo on Animal
Regulation in Cities.
*This blog post has been edited to reflect that Farmington, Minnesota has not discussed backyard chicken ordinances. We regret the error.
*This blog post has been edited to reflect that Farmington, Minnesota has not discussed backyard chicken ordinances. We regret the error.
This information has been compiled by Amber Eisenschenk,
staff attorney with the League of Minnesota Cities. Contact:
aeisenschenk@lmc.org or (651) 281-1227.
This blog post conveys general information. It’s not legal
advice. Please check with your city attorney before acting on this information.
