PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — If you live in Pennsylvania and own a dog, you have until Jan. 1 to purchase a 2025 dog license or face a fine.
Licensing fees help fund the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement in the commonwealth. Licensing provides information to the bureau so they can investigate potential cases of cruelty, neglect, abandonment and dog bites. And a lost dog with a license will get delivered back home to you instead of ending up at a shelter.
An annual dog license costs $8.70 and lifetime licenses are available for $52.70, says Shannon Powers, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. There is a discount for senior citizens and people with disabilities.
“The cost of a dog license is far less than the penalty of being caught without one,” she says. “And that penalty, you could face a fine of up to $500 for each unlicensed dog. So getting that dog license by Jan. 1 is a great thing you do as a responsibility of owning your dog.”
Dog wardens will randomly canvass neighborhoods to ensure all dogs are licensed.