Santa Cruz County dog license

Why License Your Pet

Dog licensing, required by law in Santa Cruz County, helps both dog owners and the community at large. Cat licensing is optional. Our license tags have a digital ID which can be instrumental in finding a lost pet more quickly. Click here to download a PDF with information about these new tags.

Licensing fees provide our community with two open admission animal shelters which provide a safe haven for lost, unwanted, injured, abandoned and mistreated animals. They also support programs and benefit the community as detailed below.

  • Humane investigations into animal cruelty
  • 24-hour animal rescue
  • Recovering and returning lost animals to their homes
  • Food, shelter, veterinary and humane care for stray or homeless animals
  • Adoption services for people looking to adopt a new companion
  • Low-cost spay/neuter program for Santa Cruz County pets (Planned PETHOOD)
  • Humane education

  • Reuniting lost pets with their owners.
  • Ensuring that dogs are vaccinated against rabies, a fatal disease.
  • Protecting pet owners and their animals by tracking dangerous and aggressive dogs and habitual offenders of animal laws.
  • Reducing the number of unwanted animals by encouraging owners to spay and neuter pets by differential fees.
  • Providing additional revenues to Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter to help provide funding for the rescue, shelter and care for the County’s lost, unwanted, injured, abandoned and mistreated animals.
  • Providing important information on pet populations in cities which can affect how government resources are allocated to fund animal-related programs.

  • Rabies is a current threat to human and animal health. Dog licensing lowers the overall cost and health risk by making certain that dogs are vaccinated and by providing revenue for prevention programs.
  • A single rabies incident resulting from a dog whose vaccination has expired costs you, the taxpayer, thousands of dollars. This money could be saved and used elsewhere if the dog’s vaccination had been current.
  • Owners of licensed dogs receive a helpful reminder to revaccinate their pet prior to the rabies vaccine expiration date.

Santa Cruz County Municipal Code Section 6.08.010, City of Santa Cruz Municipal Code Section 8.14.010, City of Watsonville Municipal Code Section 6-1.401 and City of Scott’s Valley Municipal Code Section 6.12.010 require that all dogs over 4 months of age be licensed. Failure to license or renew your dog’s license could result in a $100 citation. Cat licensing is optional and helps protect your cat by linking them to you in our database.