The 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Cat & Dog Licensing

	Which Pets Are Required To Wear A License?
	What Are The Age Requirements?
	Where Can I Purchase A Pet License?
	How Do I Purchase A Pet License?
	How Much Does It Cost?
	When Do I Renew The Pet License?
	How Do I Purchase A Replacement Pet License?
	How Is Animal Care Involved In The Licensing Of Pets?
	Why Is It So Important For My Pet To Wear A Pet License?
	Does My Indoor Cat Really Need A Pet License?

License Series List contains the license series of numbers issued to each clinic/organization.

QUESTION - Which Pets Are Required To Wear A License?

ANSWER - Broward County law requires both dogs and cats to wear an official Broward County license. Ferrets are not required to wear county a license. Guard dogs and dogs declared vicious are required to wear a special license.

QUESTION- What Are The Age Requirements?

ANSWER - Dogs and cats that are two months or older are required to wear a license. There is a juvenile license tag for dogs and cats two to four months old. The adult license are for dogs and cats four months and older. Remember the license must be worn by your pet(s) at all times.

QUESTION - Where Can I Purchase a Pet License?

ANSWER - There are over 160 veterinarian offices in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade Counties that sell Broward County licenses. The Animal Care Division also sells the license through the mail or by visiting our shelters.
Click here for the addresses and maps to the shelters

QUESTION - How Do I Purchase A Pet License?

ANSWER - The most convenient time to purchase an adult license is when you bring your pet to your veterinarian for its annual physical which includes a rabies vaccination. The vet will give you a copy of the completed and signed Rabies Certificate for your records. The Rabies Certificate shows when and where your pet was vaccinated and provides important information about you, the owner. This owner information is vital if your pet is lost because it provides a way to contact you when someone finds your pet.

If your vet doesn’t sell Broward County licenses, chances are another vet in your area does. Check the Yellow Pages for another vet and call first. Bring the copy of the Rabies Certificate to the vet.

You can also purchase the license through the Division by mailing the Rabies Certificate, a check for the appropriate amount, and a self-addressed return envelope to: Animal Care and Regulation Division, 1870 Southwest 39 Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. Make the check payable to the Broward County Board of County Commissioners. We will mail you the license in two to four weeks. If you need the license faster, you can stop by our Fort Lauderdale shelter Monday through Saturday or our Pompano shelter Tuesday through Sunday. Call 954-359-1313 for business hours.

QUESTION - How Much Does It Cost?

ANSWER - The majority of veterinarians and the Animal Care Division charge the fees listed below for a pet license. Some veterinarians charge an additional handling fee to cover administrative costs.

*Two dollars from each license issued will be deposited into a special account to spay and neuter pets of low-income Broward residents.

QUESTION - When Do I Renew The Pet License?

ANSWER - The adult license is valid for one year from the date of the rabies vaccination. For example, if you have your pet vaccinated against rabies and purchase the license on September 1, the license is valid for one full year until September 1 of the next year. If you have your pet vaccinated on September 1 and purchase a license on October 1, then the license is valid for only 11 months, until September 1 of the next year. This applies to adult license.

The juvenile license is valid for 12 months from the date of the Animal’s first rabies vaccination provided the rabies vaccination is administered when the puppy or kitten is four months old. If the rabies vaccination is administered after four months of age, the juvenile license is invalid and the pet owner must purchase an adult license for the Animal.

QUESTION - How Do I Purchase A Replacement Pet License?

ANSWER - You can purchase a replacement animal license in three ways: at a veterinarian's office, through the mail, or at Animal Care’s two animal shelters.

1. Go to the veterinarian that sold you the original license and purchase the replacement license. You can also purchase a replacement license at 150+ veterinarians in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade Counties. Not all vets sell the license so call first. Bring a copy of the rabies certificate to the vet's office. The certificate is proof your pet receive the rabies vaccination within the past 12 months. You cannot purchase a license without the proof of the rabies vaccination. The cost is $4 per replacement license.

2. Mail a $4 check to Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Division 1870 Southwest 39th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33315. Make the check payable to Broward County Board of County Commissioners along with your old license number, name, address, phone number, and a brief note why you are sending the money. We will mail you the replacement license.

3. Go to the Animal Care’s Fort Lauderdale animal shelter Monday through Saturday or the Pompano Beach animal shelter Wednesday through Sunday. Call 954-359-1313 for business hours or click herefor maps, addresses, and business hours.

QUESTION - How Is Animal Care Involved In The Licensing Of Pets?

ANSWER - The Division provides the county pet license to veterinarians who choose to issue the license. The veterinarians provide us with a copy of the Rabies Certificate and we record this information into our computer system. We also mail reminder Rabies Certificate notices to registered pet owners about one month before their pets’ license expire. Please bring this copy of the Rabies Certificate to your vet who will update the information.

We return lost pets through the information provided on your pet’s Rabies Certificate. One way we use this information is when the public calls us to find the owner of a lost pet they found. We access the owner information from our computer system and provide your name, address, and phone number. The person who found your pet will then call you. Each year we handle over 2,500 telephone calls from the public who find lost pets and want to return them to their owners.

Another way anyone can use the owner information to return a lost pet is through our Pet License Information Database which is available on our web site. The database contains over 700,000 records of pets registered in Broward County since 1998. You enter the pet’s license number or tattoo number and the owner information will appear on the screen. It also has a search feature if you do not have the complete license or tattoo number. The database is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day so you can find the owner when our offices are closed.

QUESTION - Why Is It So Important For My Pet To Wear A Pet License?

ANSWER - The license is important for two reasons: it provides identification if your pet is lost and it protects the public health by preventing the spread of rabies from pets to humans.

The license is a call home when the Division or someone else finds your pet. Additionally, when the Division finds an injured pet, it guarantees emergency medical treatment at your expense. Animal Care Officers rescued 949 pets injured by vehicles last year. Each year over 20,000 cats and dogs are lost in Broward County and end up in shelters. By wearing a license, your pet is 20 times more likely to be returned to you.

A license saves lives of lost pets ending up in shelters. We hold and care for pets with identification at the Division for at least five days as compared to pets without identification which we shelter for at least three days. We make every effort to call the owner if the pet has identification. If the Animal is not redeemed by the owner within the holding period, it becomes property of Broward County and we evaluate the Animal for adoption. Each year, owners do not redeem thousands of lost Animals nor are they adoptable so they have to be euthanized.

A rabies vaccine for your pet protects your pet against contracting this deadly disease and is the first line of defense against rabies spreading to you, your family, and your neighbors. For humans, rabies is a potentially fatal disease if not treated in its early stages. Before your dog or cat can receive a license tag it must first be vaccinated against rabies.

In Broward County, there have been 18 confirmed cases of rabies since July, 2000. The State Department of Health/Broward County Health Department issued a Rabies Alert on August 1, 2002 for the area south of Palm Beach County line to Northwest 44th Street, and west of the Florida's Turnpike to the Sawgrass Expressway. This area includes the entire cities of Parkland, Coral Springs, Margate, Coconut Creek, North Lauderdale and parts of Lauderhill, Tamarac and Sunrise.

The rabies cases in Broward were either found in raccoons or foxes with one case of rabies in a domestic cat confirmed on January 22, 2001. The last rabid cat in Broward County occurred in 1955. Three residents were exposed to rabid Animals and received the post-exposure rabies vaccination series of five shots.

Rabies cases have been confirmed in Palm Beach County in wild and domestic Animals. Since the outbreak began in 1994, there have been over 70 cases.

QUESTION - Does My Indoor Cat Really Need A Pet License?

ANSWER- This is the most frequently asked question from cat owners. A license on your indoor cat is more vital than for a cat who goes outside. If your indoor cat manages to escape outside, it is more likely to get lost because it is not familiar with the neighborhood. Outdoor cats can find their way home because they are familiar with their surroundings.

If you are saying to yourself “my indoor cat will never get outside,” keep this in mind. Every year in Broward County, over 20,000 pets are lost each year and end up in shelters. More than 4,000 pets never make it to shelters because they are killed by vehicles and there are another 950 injured. Each year, you open your doors over 25,000 times giving Fluffy lots of chances to escape. Outdoor screened patios are very common in South Florida and another escape route. A volunteer who works with a cat rescue group recently lost her two indoor cats this way. They broke through the screen, were not wearing their license, and they were never found. So don’t think it can’t happen to your indoor cats.