Archived News Release: October 15, 2014 - At the Oct. 6, 2014, meeting, Ann Arbor City Council approved changes to the city's dog licensing ordinance with the hopes more residents will comply with the law. In addition to licensing-term options of one, two or three years, to coincide with the length of a dog's rabies vaccination, the updated ordinance has a new fee structure — less than the original, flat rate of $16 per dog.
Effective Nov. 1, 2014, licensing spayed or neutered dogs is $6 for one year, $12 for unaltered dogs. A two-year license is $11 for spayed or neutered dogs, $22 for unaltered dogs; and a three-year license is also available for $15 for spayed or neutered dogs, $30 for unaltered dogs. Service dogs are licensed for free.
Regardless of the month/date when the license is issued, in order to coincide with the effective dates of the rabies vaccinations, the expiration date(s) are June, 30 2015, for up to one-year licenses; June 30, 2016, for up to two-year licenses; and *May 30, 2017, for those opting for up to a three-year license. *Note that, beginning in 2017, May 30 will become the expiration date for each of the one-, two- and three-year licenses.
The city has issued approximately 2,500 dog licenses. With the changes to the ordinance and increased education efforts, the city aims to reach a licensing compliance rate of 30 percent in the coming years.
Why license? Michigan law requires all dogs over the age of 6 months to be licensed. Plus, licensing protects community health and safety by requiring that rabies vaccinations are administered regularly. In addition, a dog license can help reunite lost dogs with their owners. And in case those reasons aren't enough, only licensed dogs are permitted to play at the city's two off-leash dog parks, Olson and Swift Run (www.a2gov.org/dogparks).
Visit the city website for more information on dog licenses, including a preview of the new application and new rates, which go into effect Nov. 1, 2014, at www.a2gov.org/doglicense.
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