City ordinance requires all dogs and cats, four months of age or older, that are kept or harbored for 30 days or longer within the City limits to be licensed with Animal Services. You can get a ticket and be fined for failing to license your dogs and cats. A pet license is not the same things as a rabies vaccination tag, which is issued at the time an animal receives the vaccination. Licensing is the only practical way Animal Services can enforce state rabies vaccination requirements. If you are not sure if you live in the city limits or not, you can check here.
Residents that have more than 5 pets (cats and/or dogs) are also required to purchase a multiple pet permit for $100. To qualify, all dogs and cats must be spayed or neutered and have current rabies vaccinations and pet licenses. Permits are valid for one year and require a home inspection by Animal Control. To read the ordinance, go to https://government.georgetown.org/code-of-ordinances/, and then read Chapter 7, Sec 7.02.030 Multi pet permit: requirements.
Step How to get a pet license
Licenses are available at the Animal Care & Control Center.
To obtain a license by mail, send a copy of your pet’s current rabies vaccination certificate and a check for the license fee to:
Fort Worth Animal Care & Control 4900 Martin St. Fort Worth, TX 76119
If your pet has lost its license, you can purchase a replacement tag for $5 with a copy of your original license receipt. Renewals are counted from your old license’s expiration date.
As of June 26, 2018, registered microchips are required in Fort Worth for all dogs and cats. Microchipping your pet is the best way to make sure he or she gets home when lost.
Identification microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are implanted under your pet’s skin at the shoulder, and it can’t be easily lost or removed like a collar tag. All microchips are listed in a database, making it easy for animal control to reunite pets and owners.
Microchips are available through TCAP, from Fort Worth Animal Care & Control and veterinary clinics. Owners who have their pets microchipped do not need a pet license for their dog or cat.
A license is your pet’s “ticket home” should he or she become lost.
Fewer than 3 percent of animals brought in to Animal Care and Control have identification. When a lost animal is found with current identification, Animal Control officers can quickly notify its owners that it is safely at the shelter.
License fees also pay for many vital services performed at the Animal Care & Control Center.
All dogs and cats in the city that are not microchipped must have a current license, renewed every three or five years. A lifetime-of-pet license is also available. If you live outside the city limits of Fort Worth, contact your city or local animal control office to learn more about licensing fees and procedures for your pet.
The City of Fort Worth requires that all animals be microchipped with current contact information on file with a national chip registration company. A license is not required for microchipped animals. Licenses are required only for non-microchipped animals. We strongly recommend a microchip since this is a permanent form of identification.
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You must be licensed, if you meet both of the following conditions:
Each adult female animal in your possession that is capable of reproduction will be presumed to be used for breeding purposes, unless you can establish, based upon breeding records or other evidence, that the animal is not used for breeding.
Persons who operate without a license may be subject to enforcement actions, including administrative penalties and sanctions in an amount up to $5,000 per day for each violation.
If you breed dogs for certain specific purposes, you may qualify for an exemption to the licensing requirement.
Dogs that are bred primarily for the following purposes will not be counted towards the â11 or more adult female dogsâ requirement for obtaining a license:
If you breed the types of dogs listed above purely for personal use, or for exchange for other dogs used in the same manner, you will not be required to obtain a license.
A person who breeds dogs that meet the exemption requirements (above) but also breeds non-sporting dogs, or cats, may not be exempt from becoming a licensed breeder with respect to the non-sporting dogs or cats.
To apply for a new cat or dog breeder license, submit a completed license application form (PDF) along with the applicable fee (see below).
As part of the application, you must provide a valid state sales tax identification number with your renewal application, as well as the names and addresses of each person who has a controlling interest of at least 25% in the operation.
Licenses are valid for 1 year from the date of issuance.
| Number of Female Animals Capable of Reproduction | Application Fee |
|---|---|
| 11â25 | $300 |
| 26 or more | $500 |
Before a license may be issued, the department must inspect a facility to ensure that the facility meets the requirements. Please see the pre-license inspection checklist for further details.
If your facility does not meet the requirements, you will be given an opportunity to correct the deficiencies and request another pre-license inspection. Additional inspection fees may be required.
If you currently hold a USDA class A animal dealer license issued under the Animal Welfare Act, you may be exempt from the pre-license inspection requirement.
To request an exemption to the inspection, submit a copy of your animal dealer license with your application materials. As part of the application form, you will be required to sign a statement certifying that your facility meets the standards and qualifications required.
To operate under a single license, all buildings, property, and confinement areas used to conduct breeding operations must be located within 300 feet of the facility specified in the original license application.
A separate license is required for noncontiguous locations that are more than 300 feet apart.
If you have ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic violation) or pleaded guilty or no contest (resulting in a deferred adjudication) to any in-state, out-of-state or federal criminal offense, you must provide a completed Criminal History Questionnaire (PDF) along with your application materials.
The department will conduct a criminal history background check on all persons who apply for a cat or dog breeder license. Criminal convictions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Licenses may be denied based on the nature of the conviction and how long prior to the application the conviction occurred. Depending on your criminal history, a review can take from one to six weeks to complete.
Individuals may request TDLR review their criminal background before actually applying for a license. TDLR uses the same process for this pre-application evaluation as the process described below. See the Criminal History Evaluation Letter page for more information.
Please see the Guidelines for License Applicants with Criminal Convictions, which describe the process that TDLR uses to determine whether a criminal conviction renders an applicant an unsuitable candidate for the license, or whether a conviction warrants revocation or suspension of a license previously granted.