King County Shelter Requires Pet Licensing
Working with partner cities, staff from Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) will be going door to door on weekends in April to inform residents about the benefits of pet licensing and ensure that pets are properly licensed.
All cats and dogs eight weeks or older in the RASKC service area must have a King County pet license.
Licensing your pet is critically important because it helps fund the RASKC’s work. Unfortunately, the vast majority of pet owners in King County (and virtually everywhere else) do not license their animals.
No Citations
Pet licensing representatives will visit neighborhoods in the following areas through October: Bellevue, Covington, Enumclaw, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Newcastle, and unincorporated areas of south King County.
If a representative finds an unlicensed pet, they will not issue a citation. Instead, they will provide a free temporary license, which provides pet owners time to purchase a permanent license.
Image from Regional Animal Services of King County.
Here are the fees for licensing your pet in King County:
- Juvenile (under 6 mos. old, good for 6 mos.) – $15
- Altered (w/proof pet is spayed/neutered – $30
- Unaltered (eligible for spay/neuter voucher) – $60
- Senior Citizen (65 and over, proof of spay/neuter – $15
- Lost Tag Replacement (unexpired tags only) – $5
- Service Animals (statement of disability and signed affidavit required) – $0
You can recognize King County pet licensing representatives by their King County ID badges, RASKC logo shirts or jackets, business cards, and pet licensing documents.
As King County employees, they follow strict guidelines regarding professional conduct. Staff will not peer in windows or over fences looking for pets.
Pet licenses protect pets and help sustain vital animal care and control services, such as:
- Reuniting owners with their lost pets, including providing licensed pets a free ride home
- Adopting pets by supporting care at both of King County’s pet adoption centers
- Responding to reports of dangerous or nuisance animals
- Investigating and prosecuting cases of animal cruelty or neglect.
To purchase a King County pet license, see a list of licensing partner locations, or get more information about pet licensing, visit www.kingcounty.gov/LicenseMyPet or call 206-296-2712.
You have got to be kidding me? What a massive case of Big Brother up yers.
My pets are licensed, but this still feels VERY wrong. What’s next?
When you let one thing go with the government, you open the door for more.
So next, what?.. checking for vaccinations?
I hope they get an unwarm welcome that changes this stupid idea.
What happened to being free?
Hit the people in public area, there’s sure enough of them to go around.
Unwelcome.
I’m with you. This is bullshit. If I had extra money. I would like to spend it on the care of my pet. I’m already losing the battle with paying my property taxes, now they wanna take my dogs too!