City Gets Tough on Pet Licensing, Collects $380K

Licensing revenue has doubled.

The city of Sacramento, CA, has doubled its pet-licensing revenue after launching a strict enforcement policy.

From June to March, the city collected more than $380,000, the Sacramento Bee reports. That’s almost twice what it took in during the equivalent time frame a year prior.

Dog and cat owners have to get their pets licensed, and they have to get them vaccinated for rabies; the cost is $20. Those who don’t comply face fines of $300 or, for repeat offenders, $500.

In June, the city announced that it was cracking down. It said it would issue warnings as a first step, with a $300 fine to be issued if pet owners failed to heed two warnings. Even then, the issue is “correctable” — the fine is canceled if the owner gets the license within a month.

The law had been on the books for many years but hadn’t been enforced consistently.

The city has assessed well over 500 fines but has collected only $2,100, according to the Bee.

Read more at the Sacramento Bee