Common Questions

Please choose the option that best describes the notice you received:

There may be several reasons why you received a bill when you have a current license. We're happy to help with your account information - please fill out this form to begin the process.

A license tag will be mailed to you if this is your first license or if the number on your prior license tag is lower than 8001. Your new tag will be permanently assigned to your pet, however, the license will still need to be renewed each year.

The tag will be mailed within 10 business days from the day we receive your complete application and payment. Please allow an additional 2-4 days for mailing.

You may obtain a replacement tag by sending a check or money order in the amount of $5.00 payable to "SBCAS" to the mailing address below. Please include a copy of your license receipt or a note to designate the pet for which you are purchasing a replacement tag.

Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter
PO Box 476
Lake Jackson, TX 77566

A current license tag may be transferred to the new owner of a pet, provided that we are notified of the new owner information. Please click here to Contact Us or mail the information to us at the following address:

Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter
PO Box 476
Lake Jackson, TX 77566

A refund may be available if a duplicate payment was made for your license. To request a refund, please send your request in writing or via email to Customer Service. Be sure to include the pet’s current license tag number if it is available, and as much information as possible regarding your payments and where the payments were made.

Animal Licenses will expire one year from the date of purchase.

Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter
141 Canna Lane
Lake Jackson, TX  77566

To report stray animals or for animal control questions unrelated to licensing, please call your local Animal Control Office. The number may be listed under the respective city or county law enforcement office in which you reside.

If the pet that you have found is wearing a Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter license tag, please call our office at 1-866-364-8611. Due to privacy laws on registration information, we may not give you the owner’s information, but we will call the pet owner on your behalf.

If an Animal Control Officer finds your pet, and your pet is wearing a current license tag on its collar, Animal Services will try to contact you. If another citizen finds your pet with its license tag, they may call the licensing office, and a customer service representative will try to contact you to connect you with the person that has found your pet.

If your pet has been lost, Animal Services recommends that you visit the Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter to look for your pet.

Licensing helps the shelter identify family pets should an animal become lost.  The fees from licensing are used to care for animals and investigate complaints about stray animals, among other services.  Other goals of animal licensing are to promote responsible pet ownership and to reduce the tragedies associated with lost pets and pet overpopulation.

A current pet license also benefits you as a pet owner. If your pet is picked up by an Animal Control Officer and is wearing the license tag, the ACO will make every attempt to contact you before delivering it to the animal shelter. Licensed pets that are brought to the shelter are held five days so owners and pets can be reunited, instead of the legally mandated three days. When you pick up your pet, the redemption fees charged are much lower than for unlicensed pets. Most importantly, pets wearing a license tag have a much greater likelihood of being reunited with their owners.

Another reason is to prevent the spreading of rabies. Rabies is a constant health threat, and rabies vaccinations are good for your pet’s health. Did you know that rabies is 100% fatal for humans if not treated properly? Animal licensing helps the Animal Shelter monitor compliance with local and state rabies vaccination laws.

Licensing Ordinance

All dogs and cats 4 months of age and older in Clute, Freeport, and Lake Jackson must be vaccinated for rabies and licensed annually with Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter.

View the complete City of Clute ordinance

View the complete City of Freeport ordinance

View the complete City of Lake Jackson ordinance

Due Date

Payment for your license is due within 30 days of your pet’s vaccination date or prior license expiration date.

If you are licensing for the first time, you must purchase a license within 30 days of obtaining a dog over the age of 4 months or within 30 days of establishing residence in the city of the Clute, Freeport or Lake Jackson.

License Term

Animal Licenses will expire one year from the date of purchase.

Southern Brazoria County Animal Shelter chose to outsource animal licensing in 2005 to promote animal licensing, to increase the cost-effectiveness of the program, and to provide additional services to its citizens.

PetData, Inc., headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas, provides animal licensing services for municipalities and animal welfare agencies throughout the United States. The company, a member of the National Animal Control Association, has been in business since 1993. PetData’s goals are to increase animal licensing, to reduce animal euthanasia, to educate the community, and to help solve animal control problems.

We at PetData consider the privacy of our clients to be of paramount importance. PetData has never sold information or data to any third-party. PetData does not use any personally identifiable data collected for any purpose other than those as determined by client contracts.

We do not respond to requests for information from non-client individuals or corporations, nor do we release information without the express written consent of our client agencies. Groups or individuals requesting licensing data should contact the individual client's animal services agency director as we release data only to our contracted client.