Pet licensing services

1. Found pets are reunited quickly with their owner. To report a found pet, please call the Found Pet Information Line 206-296-2712.
2. Your pet gets a free ride home the first time it is found. County staff will attempt to deliver your pet home to you immediately, skipping a trip to the animal shelter.
3. Your pet gets a longer care period. When found, your licensed pet will be cared for at the County Animal Shelter for a longer time.
4. You and your pet get the Vacation Pet Alert. When you leave home on vacation, call 206-296-2712 to register where your pet will be while you are on vacation, who will be taking care of your pet and where to reach you. We will call the correct number if your pet gets loose during your vacation.
5. Your pet can be picked up at no charge. Your dog or cat will be picked up from your home at no charge if you need to release your pet to King County Animal Control.
6. You can use the shelter's humane euthanasia service at no charge. When the time comes, Animal Control staff will perform humane euthanasia at no charge.
7. License fees support the return of more than 2,500 lost pets to their homes and help adopt 5,000 homeless pets to new families every year. Other services funded by pet licenses are investigation of animal neglect or cruelty, spay/neuter programs to reduce pet over-population, and community education services.

You can choose from among these easy choices:

• Online. Purchase or renew your pet's license online .
• Mail. Download and print a copy of the pet license application form and Owner's Statement of Spay/Neuter.
• In Person. Buy a pet license in person at many convenient locations throughout King County.

Type	Comments	Cost
Juvenile	Under 6 months of age; 6 months expiration	$5
Altered	Proof required	$20
Unaltered	Includes $25 voucher for savings on spay/neuter	$60
Senior	Proof that pet is altered and proof that owner is 65 years of age or older is required. License is good for life of pet. Limited to three per household.	Dog $20 Cat $12
Service Animal	Statement that owner has disability and animal is a service animal.	$0

King County pet licenses are required for all dogs and cats 8 weeks of age or older in most areas of the county. A pet license identifies and protects your dog or cat in case they get lost. Also, pet licenses offer other great benefits as well.

Even indoor-only cats or pets confined to fenced yards get loose and their licenses help assure you can be reunited with them. Licenses are inexpensive identification and are for your pet's protection and safety. License revenue also makes it possible to reunite lost pets with their families and for adoption services for homeless pets.

All dogs and cats must be licensed in all unincorporated King County and the following cities: Algona, Auburn, Beaux Arts, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bothell*, Burien, Carnation, Clyde Hill, Covington, Duvall, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, North Bend, Pacific, Redmond, Sammamish, SeaTac, Shoreline, Snoqualmie, Tukwila, Woodinville and Yarrow Point. (Mercer Island only requires dog licenses.)

* NOTE: King County pet licenses are required in the entire City of Bothell, including the portion of the city that is in Snohomish County.

The following cities issue their own pet licenses. Please contact them directly for pet license information if you live in their city limits: Seattle, Renton (click on Department/Finance & Information/Animal Licenses), Des Moines (Contact: Jan Magnuson at (206) 870-6549), Medina (call 425-454-9222), Newcastle (call 425-649-4444) or Normandy Park (Contact: Animal License Information at (206) 248-7603).

If so, and if your pet is spayed/neutered, you are eligible for a discounted senior citizen pet license, good for the lifetime of your pet. This license is not transferable. Please provide proof of your age and proof of pet's spay/neuter. Senior Citizen lifetime pet licenses are limited to three per household. If you have additional pets, the regular fee applies.

If you have a disability and use a trained service animal to assist you, you can receive the animal license at no cost. Please provide a statement that you have a disability and that your animal has been trained and is used to assist you due to your disability. The pet license fee is waived.

If you are renewing your license, you will receive a new tag. However, if your pet loses his license tag during the license year, just send us your receipt along with a check for $5.00 (or go to one of our convenient locations). We will send you a new tag.

• A statement or receipt from your veterinarian or clinic that did the surgery or who has examined your pet and can verify the surgery.
• Previous license information showing spay/neuter.
• A signed Owner's Statement certifying that your pet has been spayed or neutered.

Pet owners who purchase or renew an unaltered pet license are automatically mailed a voucher that is good for a $25 reduction on the cost of the spay/neuter surgery for that pet. The $25 voucher can be used at many veterinary clinics throughout the region.  See participating vets (59KB PDF) for a location near you.

Yes. King County canvassers sell pet licenses door to door. Visit the current schedule of cities being served. Pet licensing canvassers have official King County photo identification and wear bright blue polo shirts or windbreakers with the pet licensing logo. Summer and fall canvassing hours are generally 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. weekdays, 9 - 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Canvassers can accept payment and issue license tags for your dogs and cats right while they are at your doorstep a great convenience to you and a great protection for your pets. When a canvasser comes to your door, please welcome him or her. They are on a mission that is beneficial to you and your pet, as well as the County's Animal Care and Control program, provided in partnership with 32 suburban cities.