Dog Licensing Program

What Dogs Must Be Licensed?

Every dog, regardless of age, owned or harbored in New York State for longer than 30 days must be licensed in the town, city or village where the dog is being harbored. The following are the only license exemptions:

• if the dog is under four months of age and not running-at-large (off the owner’s premises)

• dogs harbored in New York City (these dogs must be licensed by the NYC Department of Health)

• if a non-resident brings a dog into New York State for less than 30 days and the dog is licensed according to the resident state’s licensing laws

• dogs confined to the premises of any public or private hospital, research institution or a Class A Dealer with a certificate of exemption from the Commissioner.

How to License Your Dog

• Apply for a dog license at your local licensing agent or instructions to download the dog license application (DL-1) and follow the accompanying instructions. This would be the clerk of the town, city or, in some counties, village.

• For guide dogs, war dogs, hearing dogs, police work dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs, or detection dogs as of January 1, 2003, satisfactory proof is required, such as a training certificate, etc. for licenses.

• In addition to the application the owner will need:

  1. if the dog is spayed or neutered - a certificate from a licensed veterinarian or an affidavit from the owner showing that the dog has been spayed or neutered, unless this proof is already on file with the clerk;

  2. ALL dogs three months or older must have proof of a rabies vaccination signed by a licensed veterinarian or a certificate stating why the life of the dog would be endangered by the vaccine; and

  3. a check payable to the municipal licensing agent for the appropriate license fee.

After the application and appropriate certificates are filed and the license fee has been paid, the license will be validated for one year by the municipal licensing agent. Each dog is assigned a permanent official identification (ID) number and issued a metal ID tag which is to be attached to the dog’s collar. NO REFUND WILL BE MADE AFTER A LICENSE HAS BEEN VALIDATED.

If you are interested in a purebred license, contact your local licensing clerk.

License Fees

The statutory license fees are:

License Type	State Statutory Fee
Spayed/Neutered Dog	$2.50
Unspayed/Unneutered Dog	$10.50	$3.00 of this fee is used to fund the NYS Animal Population Control Program
Guide Dog	No Fee
War Dog	No Fee
Hearing Dog	No Fee
Police Work Dog	No Fee
Service Dog	No Fee

In addition to the statutory fees, any licensing municipality may impose a local license fee of up to $10.00. Call your municipal clerk for the local fee amount.

License renewal forms will be mailed directly to the dog owner by the Department of Agriculture and Markets by the first day of the month that your license is due to expire.

How to Change a License

To ensure the accuracy of license records, it is essential that any change to the information on the license be provided to the local licensing agent who in turn will notify this Department so that records can be updated. The owner must provide in writing any of the following changes:

• dog ownership

• dog owner’s address

• loss or theft of the dog (and if the dog is found, its return) and

• death of a dog

Distribution of Dog License Monies

Any local fees collected are kept by the licensing municipality for dog control services and enforcement of Article 7 of the Agriculture and Markets law in addition to their portion of the statutory fee. The statutory fee is apportioned as follows:

• 53% is retained by the licensing municipality for dog control and enforcement of Article 7 of the Agriculture and Markets law.

• 30% is sent to the county to reimburse livestock animal owners for dog damage claims. Any unused money is returned to the licensing municipalities annually.

• 17% is forwarded to the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets to provide all dog license forms and identification tags, send renewal applications and maintain the centralized database of dog licenses.

  • from the State’s 17% share, a 10 cent fee for each license issued is remitted to Cornell Veterinary College for dog disease studies.

All other fees, such as impoundment fees and fines and/or penalties for violations are retained by the collecting municipality.

Local Dog Control Services

Every licensing town, city or village must have a Dog Control Officer (DCO) and municipal shelter services. The DCO and shelter service enforces both State and any local dog laws and ordinances. Further, it is the DCO’s responsibility to pick up lost and stray dogs and humanely care for them until they can be reunited with their owners.

If your dog is lost or you find a lost dog, immediately contact your local DCO or shelter. Owners should seek lost unidentified dogs at the municipal shelter.

If a dog is lost but identified with a NYS identification tag, the DCO will contact the NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets to trace the dog tag to the owner.

The local dog control officer must institute action for violations of both state and local laws. Fines or civil penalties shall be up to $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second and $100 for the third and subsequent offenses.

If dogs injure or kill livestock, the local assessor should be notified immediately. Do NOT destroy or bury the animals. They must be available for examination so the assessor can appraise the damage.

Article 7 relates to the licensing, identification and control of dogs and the animal population control program in New York State and is administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Dogs harbored in New York City, however, must be licensed by the New York City Department of Health. Local officials, generally animal control officers or dog control officers, are responsible for enforcing Article 7.

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