Officers from the county of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control will be conducting field animal licensing efforts in the unincorporated areas of Newhall (91381) in the Santa Clarita Valley, as well as Arcadia, Duarte, Monrovia and Temple City beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The press release issued by DACC did not state how many days the enforcement effort would be conducted.

Field animal licensing efforts include officers going door-to-door in neighborhoods looking for unlicensed pets.

Field animal licensing efforts are designed to ensure that residents’ dogs and cats are in compliance with mandatory animal licensing, spay/neuter and microchipping requirements. Additionally, California law requires that all dogs over the age of four months be vaccinated against rabies and licensed.

The county of Los Angeles requires the same for all cats.

Puppies may be vaccinated at three months but are not required to be vaccinated until four months of age.

Securing a dog or cat license is also essential to assisting animal control agencies if an animal becomes lost.

Animal owners in Los Angeles County must have a valid and up to date animal license and their animal must be spayed/neutered and microchipped if they reside in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, as well as within cities that contract with the county and who have adopted the county’s ordinance regarding animals.

Residents not in compliance may be subject to license fees, delinquency charges and a $40 field enforcement fee to offset the cost of the Department’s field services.

DACC is observing an amnesty period from Dec. 1, 2024, through Feb. 28, 2025, where late charges and field enforcement fees are waived.

You can secure a new license or renew your animal license at http://animalcare.lacounty.gov.

If your pet’s license has expired you will not be able to renew online. You must visit the Castaic Animal Care and Control Center at 31044 Charlie Canyon Road, Castaic, CA 91384 in person at during normal business hours or pay for your pet’s license by mail.

Information on licensing fees can also be found here.

Animal owners may also secure a new license or renew their animal license by printing the application online at http://animalcare.lacounty.gov and mailing it to us or by visiting your local county animal care center.

DACC offers low-cost vaccination/microchips clinics (microchips implantation is $7.50) and low-cost assistance (for individuals who qualify) for spay/neuter surgeries. Please visit or stop by your local county of Los Angeles animal care center for more information about these services.

To support DACC’s efforts, please donate to the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation at https://lacountyanimals.org/. To learn more about Socially Conscious Sheltering, visit https://scsheltering.org/.