Overview
Licensing fees help the millions of dogs in Pennsylvania by funding the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. If your dog gets lost, a current license is the fastest way to get your dog back home.
- All dogs must be licensed when you buy or adopt them (earliest is 8 weeks old) or 3 months of age, whichever comes first, by Jan. 1 of each year.
- Dog wardens randomly canvass neighborhoods to ensure all dogs are licensed, violators may be fined.
- Purchase a lifetime time license by submitting a completed application and a completed PIV form to your local county treasurer.
Cost of dog licenses
Annual licenses: $8.70,
Lifetime licenses: $52.70.
Senior citizens or residents with disabilities:
Annual fee: $6.70
Lifetime fee: $36.70.
Paying by check
You can make the check out to your county treasurer.
A few cities or municipalities license directly:
What is the dog license funding used for?
What does dog license funding do?
Revenue from dog license sales funds the work of dog wardens. They protect all dogs and puppies in kennels. They shut down bad actors and puppy mills. They keep dangerous dogs monitored and off the street. This keeps our communities safe.
The money alllows dog wardens to:
- Inspect more than 2,500 state-licensed kennels, at least twice a year
- Investigate and prosecute illegal kennel operations known as "puppy mills"
- Control the spread of infectious and contagious diseases
- Track more than 600 dangerous dogs
- Pick up stray or abandoned dogs
- Pay back shelters for holding stray dogs
- Pay back farmers for damages to livestock caused by dogs or coyotes