Chapter 6.10
DOG AND CAT REGULATIONS
Sections:
6.10.010 Licenses – Required – Issuance – Penalty – Fee use – Improper checks – Exceptions.
6.10.020 Mandatory spaying and neutering.
6.10.030 Spay/neuter vouchers.
6.10.040 Unaltered dogs and cats – Advertising requirements.
6.10.050 Rabies vaccination required.
6.10.060 Exemptions from chapter.
6.10.010 Licenses – Required – Issuance – Penalty – Fee use – Improper checks – Exceptions.
A. All dogs and cats eight weeks old and older that are harbored, kept or maintained in the city of Shoreline shall be licensed and registered with the animal care and control authority. Licenses shall be renewed on or before the date of expiration.
B. Upon application and the payment of a license fee made payable to the animal care and control authority as provided in the fee schedule, pet licenses shall be issued by the animal care and control authority and may be issued by animal shelters, veterinarians, pet shops, catteries and kennels and other approved locations, under contract with the animal care and control authority.
1. Pet licenses for dogs and cats shall be valid for a term of one year from issuance, expiring on the last day of the twelfth month. There is no proration of any license fees. Renewal licenses shall retain the original expiration period whether renewed before, on or after their respective renewal months.
2. Juvenile licenses may be obtained in lieu of an unaltered pet license for pets from eight weeks to six months old.
3. City of Shoreline residents 65 years old or older may purchase a discounted pet license for their cats or dogs that are neutered or spayed and that are maintained at the registered owner’s registered address. Residents 65 years old or older who have previously obtained a special permanent license for their cats or dogs shall not be required to purchase a new license for the permanently licensed animals.
4. Residents with disabilities that meet the eligibility requirements of the animal care and control authority may purchase a discounted pet license for their cats or dogs that are neutered or spayed and that are maintained at the registered owner’s registered address.
5. Applications for a pet license shall be on forms provided by the animal care and control authority.
6. License tags shall be worn by dogs at all times. As an alternative to a license tag, a dog or cat may be identified as licensed by being tattooed on its right ear or on its inside right thigh or groin with a license number approved or issued by the animal care and control authority.
7. Owners of dogs or cats who hold valid licenses from other jurisdictions and who move into the city of Shoreline may transfer the license by paying a transfer fee to the animal care and control authority. The license shall maintain the original license’s expiration date.
8. It is a violation of this chapter for any person to sell or transfer ownership of any pet without a pet license. The animal care and control authority shall be notified of the name, address and telephone number of the new owner by the person who sold or transferred the pet.
9. An applicant may be denied the issuance or renewal of a pet license if the applicant was previously found in violation of the animal cruelty provisions of SMC 6.30.020 or convicted of animal cruelty under RCW 16.52.205 or 16.52.207 or SMC 9.10.170.
a. An applicant may be denied the issuance or renewal of a pet license for up to:
i. Four years, if found in violation of the animal cruelty provisions of SMC 6.30.020 or convicted of a misdemeanor under RCW 16.52.207 or SMC 9.10.170; or
ii. Indefinitely, if convicted of a felony under RCW 16.52.205.
b. Any applicant who is either the subject of a notice and order under SMC 6.40.030 or charged with animal cruelty under RCW 16.52.205 or 16.52.207 may have the issuance or renewal of their pet license denied pending the final result of either the notice and order or charge.
10. The denial of the issuance or renewal of a pet license is subject to appeal, in accordance with SMC 6.40.070.
11. Cat or dog owners are subject to a penalty according to the schedule provided in SMC 6.40.060 for failure to comply with the licensing requirement in this section.
C. A late fee shall be charged on all pet license applications, according to the fee schedule.
D. Any license or penalty paid for with checks for which funds are insufficient or with checks for which payment is stopped is, in the case of the license, invalid; and in the case of the penalty, still outstanding.
E. This section shall not apply to dogs or cats in the custody of a veterinarian or animal shelter or whose owners are nonresidents temporarily within the city of Shoreline for a period not exceeding 30 days. [Ord. 920 § 2 (Exh. B), 2021; Ord. 595 § 2 (Att. A), 2011]
6.10.020 Mandatory spaying and neutering.
A. No person shall own or harbor any cat or dog over the age of six months that has not been spayed or neutered unless the person holds an unaltered animal license for the animal pursuant to SMC 6.10.010.
B. Guide dog puppies in training and police service dogs are exempted from the provisions of this section.
C. Any dog or cat over the age of six months adopted from the animal care and control authority’s animal shelter shall be spayed or neutered before transfer to the owner. [Ord. 595 § 2 (Att. A), 2011]
6.10.030 Spay/neuter vouchers.
When issuing a license for an unaltered pet, the animal care and control authority may provide to the applicant a voucher for the payment of all or part of the cost of a spay or neuter operation by a licensed veterinarian on the pet, with the amount of the voucher established by the director of the animal care and control authority based upon available resources and appropriation authority being provided. The animal care and control authority shall compile, maintain and make available to the public a list of veterinarians who accept the vouchers as full or partial payment for spay or neuter operations. Spay or neuter vouchers shall be redeemed through the animal care and control authority by veterinarians who have performed a spay or neuter operation on a pet licensed in the city of Shoreline as an unaltered pet. [Ord. 595 § 2 (Att. A), 2011]
6.10.040 Unaltered dogs and cats – Advertising requirements.
No person in the city of Shoreline shall publish or advertise to Shoreline residents the availability of any unaltered cat or dog unless the publication or advertisement includes: the unaltered animal’s license number or the animal’s juvenile license number; provided, however, that nothing in this chapter shall prohibit licensed breeders from advertising in national publications for sale of a planned litter or litters. [Ord. 595 § 2 (Att. A), 2011]
6.10.050 Rabies vaccination required.
All dogs and cats six months of age or older shall be vaccinated against rabies. All vaccinations shall be performed in accordance with the standards contained in the Compendium of Animal Rabies Control as amended, published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. [Ord. 595 § 2 (Att. A), 2011]
6.10.060 Exemptions from chapter.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to dogs and cats in the custody of an animal facility registered or licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture and regulated by 7 United States Code 2131, et seq. [Ord. 595 § 2 (Att. A), 2011]