Dog Licenses

Dogs must be licensed annually, on or before April 30th

Click here to RENEW your dog's registration online

 

Owners must obtain new dog licenses:

State of New Hampshire RSA 466:1, your dog(s) registration is due by April 30th. Licenses will be issued at the Town Clerk's Office during regular business hours. Be sure to bring your current rabies vaccination certificate and proof of spaying or neutering if applicable. Please be aware of the need to register yearly; renewals may be done online. Thank you for being a responsible pet owner.

RSA 466:1, Procuring License; Tag: 'Every owner or keeper of a dog 4 months old or over, shall annually cause it to be registered, numbered, described, and licensed for one year in the office of the clerk of the city or town in which the dog is kept, and shall cause it to wear around its neck a collar to which shall be attached a metal tag with the following information thereon: the name of the city or town, year of issue of license and its registered number.'

Regardless of when the license is obtained, the registration shall be effective from May 1st of each year to April 30th of the subsequent year.  

The owners are responsible for controlling animals to ensure they are not 'a nuisance, a menace, or vicious to person.' In May 2023, the voters in the Town of Stoddard adopted the provisions of a 'leash law' RSA 466:30-a -- Dog Control Law, which makes it 'unlawful for any dog to run large, except when accompanied by the owner or custodian, and when used for hunting, herding, supervised competition, and exhibition or training for such.'

Before the license is issued, the owner or keeper of a dog must furnish the Town Clerk with verification from a licensed veterinarian that the dog has been vaccinated against rabies. If your dog is vaccinated in New Hampshire, usually your veterinarian will send a copy of the rabies certificate to the town clerk’s office where you live.  In that case, you will not need to supply this verification yourself.

Fees for each dog are as follows:

  • Un-neutered Males and un-spayed females: $9.00
  • Neutered or spayed: $6.50
  • Puppies 4 months of age or older: $6.50
  • Kennel group license (five or more dogs): $20.00
  • Senior citizens (over 65) first dog: $2.00, then additional dogs charged as above

Owners who fail to license their dogs by May 31st are subject to additional fees or forfeiture of the animals to the Animal Control Officer

RSA 466:7, Additional Charge Where Payment of License Fee is Delayed: $1.00 per month or any part of a month that licensing fees are not paid before June 1st
RSA 466:3 Transfer: If someone moved from another city or town and proves they had a license issued by another city or town in NH. The clerk shall issue a new tag and may charge up to $1.50 to cover the cost of the tag for a new license.

To avoid receiving a notice of forfeiture, please license your dog by the April 30th deadline.     Civil forfeitures are to be paid on or before June 15th  

If you no longer have the dog or if the dog is deceased, and to avoid receiving a notice of failure to license,  please don't hesitate to get in touch with the Town Clerk's Office to update your record

NOTE:  Cats are not licensed in the State of New Hampshire