License in Person

Licensing Ordinance

All dogs and cats 4 months of age and older must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed with the City of Baltimore within 10 days of obtaining the pet, or within 10 days of the pet being in the city.

View the complete City of Baltimore ordinance:

City of Baltimore Ordinance
(Animal ordinances are found under Health Code, Title 10.)

Licensing Locations

You may license your pet in person at BARCS at 2490 Giles Road in Baltimore or at the MD SPCA, 3300 Falls Road, Baltimore. Please bring your pet's rabies vaccination certificate and spay/neuter certificate (if applicable) with you.

Required Paperwork

1. A current rabies vaccination certificate is required if the rabies vaccination on file has expired. The rabies certificate must be signed by a licensed veterinarian. Please check your certificate for correct address and pet information.
2. Proof of spay/neuter, such as a signed statement from a veterinarian or an invoice for services is required if the pet has been altered since the last licensing period and you are applying for the lower spayed/neutered license fee.
3. Proof of age is required to receive the discounted fees for senior citizens age 65 and over.
4. The lifetime license requires proof of pet's spay/neuter, microchip and current rabies vaccination.

Your paperwork will not be returned to you, so please retain a copy of your documents for your records.

Download License Application (PDF format) *To use as an electronic fillable form, open in Adobe Reader.

License Fees

Standard License Fees	1 Year
Unaltered Cat or Dog	$30.00
Spayed/Neutered Cat or Dog	$10.00
Senior Citizens Age 65 or Over	1 Year
Unaltered Cat or Dog	$15.00
Altered Cat or Dog	$5.00
Lifetime License
Altered and Microchipped Pet	$100.00
Other Fees
Replacement Tag	$1.00

Vaccination against Rabies must be current as of the date of licensing. All licenses are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Baltimore City offers a reduced licensing fee solely to pet owners that have joined the initiative in fighting Baltimore City's pet overpopulation issue by spaying and neutering their personal pets.

Download License Application (PDF format) *To use as an electronic fillable form, open in Adobe Reader.

Due Date

Payment for your license is due upon expiration of your current license. If you are licensing for the first time, you must purchase a license within 10 days of obtaining a pet over the age of 4 months or within 10 days of moving into the City of Baltimore.