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License Online
Licensing Ordinance
All dogs, cats and ferrets 4 months of age and older must be vaccinated for rabies and licensed with the Town of Matthews. Only residents within the Town Limits of Matthews should license with Matthews.
Pet owners in Charlotte, Mint Hill, Pineville, or the unincorporated county must license through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Licensing, even with a "Matthews" mail address.
View the complete Town of Matthews ordinance
Instructions to License Online
Ready to purchase your license? If you would like to license online, a convenience fee of $1.95 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.
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, 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 is required to receive the discounted fees for senior citizens age 62 and over.
License Fees
Standard Licensing Fees |
1 Year |
3 Year* |
|
Unaltered Dog |
$30.00 |
n/a |
|
Spayed/Neutered Dog |
$10.00 |
$30.00 |
|
Senior Discount (62+) |
1 Year |
3 Year |
|
Spayed/Neutered Dog |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
|
Other Fees |
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Service/Police Dog |
no fee |
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Replacement Tag |
$2.00 |
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* To purchase a three-year license, the pet must have a three-year vaccination administered within the last three months.
The cost for licensing unaltered pets is higher than for licensing spayed or neutered pets in order to promote sterilization and to reduce pet overpopulation and starvation.
If you have four or more dogs, cats or ferrets (or any combination of four or more), you need to have a “Four or More” Permit from the Town of Matthews. If you have any farm animals, chickens, etc. you need to have a Town Permit. Both permits have a $25.00 inspection fee that is nonrefundable. Please contact Matthews Animal Control for a permit application. Please do not submit permit applications with your Animal License Application. See permit application for further instructions.
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Download License Application (PDF format) |
Due Date
Payment for your license is due within 30 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 dog, cat or ferret over the age of 4 months or within 30 days of establishing residence in the Town of Matthews.