License Requirements

Licensing Ordinance

All dogs and cats 4 months of age and older must be licensed with the City of Alexandria, Virginia within 30 days of being in the city.

View the complete Alexandria ordinance:

City of Alexandria Ordinance

Due Date

Payment for your license is due within 10 days of the expiration of your current license. If you are licensing for the first time, you must purchase a license within 30 days of obtaining a pet over the age of 4 months or within 30 days of moving into Alexandria.

License Term

Licenses may be purchased for up to 3 years, with fees charged accordingly, as long as the rabies vaccination is valid for the same period of time. Licenses expire on the last day of the month in which the vaccination expires. If a one-year license is purchased and the vaccination term is longer, the license is valid for 1 year from date of purchase and will expire on the last day of the month. Rabies laws state that the license term cannot exceed the rabies expiration date.

Multi-year licenses are only available if the rabies vaccination is current for the same time period. The license cannot be valid longer than the expiration of the rabies vaccination.