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DOG LICENSING

Did you know?
All dogs over 4 months of age and residing in the cities of Reno and Sparks and the Congested areas of Washoe County are required to be licensed with Animal Service.

Reasons to license your dog

• Most dogs will usually get lost at some point in their life. Dog licenses help Animal Services staff identify and reunite lost dogs with their owners. 
• Officers will make every reasonable effort to return licensed dogs to their owners before bringing them into the shelter, saving you time and money.
• A person finding a dog with a license tag is more likely to call Animal Services instead of assuming it was abandoned and keeping your dog.
• Licensing fees help support over 12,000 lost and homeless animals brought into the shelter every year.
• A license (we also recommend a microchip) is proof of ownership in case your dog is stolen.
• Owners who maintain a current license tag on their dog will never receive a citation for failure to license, a $200 fine.

                             LICENSE ONLINE                      LICENSE BY MAIL 

FAQs 

Does my dog need a license?
All dogs over four months of age in Reno, Sparks, and the congested area of Washoe County are required to be licensed with Animal Services.

How do I know if I live in a congested area?
Unless you live in an area like Palomino Valley, Antelope Valley, or Rancho Haven, you likely live in a congested area. The amount of acreage you have does not indicate a non-congested area. Click on the link below to show the congested areas of the county or call the shelter and we can help determine if you are in a congested area. 
Click here to show congested animal areas in Washoe County

What if my dog never leaves the house?
Even if your dog never leaves the house, it must still have a dog license. At some point and time your dog may accidentally get out or there may be a disaster and you get seperated from your dog. Having a license on your dog helps animal control officers get your dog back to you.

Does my cat need to be licensed?
Currently cats are not required to be licensed in Reno, Sparks or Washoe County. However, we do recommend microchipping cats and then registering the microchip with Animal Services. There is no charge to register your microchip with Animal Services. 

How do I license my dog?
You can license you dog online, by mail, or by coming into the shelter during normal business hours. You will need a current rabies certificate and licensing fee for each dog. Utilize the links below to assist in licensing. 

                               LICENSE ONLINE                    LICENSE BY MAIL  

Would you like to submit a picture of your dog?
We can now add a picture of your dog in our licensing database. All you need to do is email a jpeg picture to pets@washoecounty.us. Enter the license tag number in the subject line and include a description and name of the dog in the text. Should your dog become lost and you submit a lost report, we can quickly upload a picture to our website for you.

Do you have more than one dog licensed?
We can make all the license tags expire on the same date if this is more convenient for you. Just email pets@washoecounty.us with the license tag numbers and we can combine the expiration dates.

Would you like to register a microchipped pet with Animal Services?
We can register your pet's microchip with Washoe County Regional Animal Services for free. All you need to do is email the following information to pets@washoecounty.us

• Name, physical address, mailing address and up to three phone numbers for the pet owner
• Pet's name, sex, color and breed (If the pet is a cat, use Shorthair, Mediumhair or Longhair)
• Microchip number for pet