Fees & Permitting
A license is your dog’s “ticket home.”
Dog licensing is essential for you, your pet, and your community. If your dog gets lost, a license tag on their collar is the fastest and easiest way to get them back home. Unlike microchips, which require a special scanner device to read them, a license tag is visible for everyone.
Licenses also apply if you have more than three dogs in a household within Missoula City limits. And licensing isn’t only for dogs. If you own chickens within city limits, you’ll need a chicken permit.
Dog licensing fees
Puppy:
- 1-year: $15
- 2 and 3 year not applicable
Spayed or neutered
- 1-year: $20
- 2-year: $25
- 3-year: $50
Not spayed or neutered
- 1-year: $35
- 2-year: $65
- 3-year: $95
Senior (owner is 65+), spayed or neutered
- 1-year: $10
- 2-year: $17.50
- 3-year: $25
Senior (owner is 65+), not spayed or neutered
- 1-year: $17.50
- 2-year: $32.50
- 3-year: $47.50
- Chicken permit: $30 for 3 years
- County kennel license: Ranges from $100-150. Call us to apply.
- 3+ dogs (within City limits only): Initial $75 fee, then $50 annually
- Boarding kennel license (county only): $50
Why does my dog need a license?
How are licensing fees spent?
- Provide food and shelter to animals in our care
- Cover medical expenses (like spays/neuters) for animals in our care
- Reunite lost pets with their owners
- Help neighbors resolve animal conflicts
- Help investigate animal cruelty cases
- Educate the public on responsible pet ownership