License Online

Licensing Ordinance

All dogs, cats and ferrets 4 months of age and older must be vaccinated for rabies and licensed annually or triennially with Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

The cities of Charlotte, Mint Hill, Pineville and the unincorporated area of Mecklenburg County are required to license through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Licensing.

If you live within the town limits of Matthews, you are required to license with Matthews Animal Licensing.

View the complete City of Charlotte ordinance

Instructions to License Online

Ready to purchase your license? If you would like to license online, a convenience fee of $2.00 will apply for each transaction. Any required documents, such as your pet's current rabies vaccination certificate, may be scanned and uploaded or submitted later by fax, mail or email. The license will be issued after all required documents are received.

Click here to begin.

If you prefer to pay by another method, click here to view your other payment options.

Required Paperwork

A current rabies vaccination certificate is required if the rabies vaccination on file has expired. Please check your certificate for correct address and pet information.
Proof of spay/neuter, such as a signed statement from a veterinarian, an invoice for services or a copy of a receipt for a pre-paid appointment for surgery that is within 30 days of the license due date, is required if the pet has been altered since the last licensing period and you are applying for the lower spayed/neutered license fee.
Proof of age, such as an identification card with the owner’s date of birth, is required to receive the discounted fees for senior citizens age 62 and over.
If you are licensing an unaltered show dog, you must furnish proof of participation in at least three nationally recognized conformation or obedience shows within the past 12 months. The exemption rate only applies to the dogs or cats in the owner's household of the same breed that were shown. Proof of participation must go beyond records showing that a filing fee was paid, and the owner must validate the actual showing of the animal.

This proof must be furnished each time you license the dog, and you will be charged at the sterile or spayed/neutered rate for the license.

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

License Fees

Standard Licensing Fees	1 Year	3 Year
Unaltered Animal	$30.00	n/a
Spayed/Neutered Animal	$10.00	$25.00
Senior Discount (62+)	1 Year	3 Year
Spayed/Neutered Pet	$0.00	$0.00
Other Fees
Late Fee (after 30 days)	$10.00
Replacement Tag	$2.00

The cost for licensing unaltered or fertile pets is higher than that for licensing spayed or neutered pets in order to promote sterilization and to reduce pet overpopulation and starvation.

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

Due Date

Payment for your license is due by the expiration date of your current license. All dogs, cats and ferrets 4 months of age or older are required to have both a current rabies shot and a current animal license. New residents of Charlotte-Mecklenburg have 30 days to license their pets.

A late fee of $10.00 is charged if your license has not been purchased within 30 days of the due date.