Dog Licensing
A License is a Ticket Home
Anyone who has experienced the panic and sorrow of having a lost dog knows how important it is to license your pet. Our dogs are our friends and companions, and they look to us for nearly everything: food, shelter, water and love. They also need us to bring them home after they have wandered.
One of the best and most basic things we can do for our dogs is to license them. Animal control officers see it every day: a license is a ticket home.
Statistically, as the number of Jefferson County dog licenses falls, the number of impounds grows. Dogs that are not reunited with their owners tax the resources of animal control officers and the resources of the Foothills Animal Shelter, the county's nonprofit animal shelter.
Check out this video on dog licensing in Jeffco!
Frequently asked questions
Dog Licensing Requirements in Jeffco
Beginning July 1, 2007, all dogs older than 4 months residing in both unincorporated Jefferson County and most of the county's municipalities must be licensed.
Licenses must be renewed annually.
Dog licensing is in effect in the following locations:
- Westminster
- Arvada
- Wheat Ridge
- Golden
- Lakewood
- Unincorporated Jefferson County
Dogs belonging to Adams County residents who reside in the cities of Arvada and Westminster are also included in the program. Until 2007, only dogs residing in unincorporated Jeffco were required to be licensed.
As of July 15, 2007, the annual fee for a spayed/neutered dog is $15; the fee for an unaltered dog is $30.
>>View June 2007 countywide dog licensing press release (PDF)
How to get a license
By Mail
Download a license application (PDF), fill it out and mail it, along with your payment, to:
Animal Control / Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
700 Jefferson County Pkwy. #160
Golden, Colorado 80401
In Person
Dog licenses may also be obtained (during normal business hours) by visiting the Jefferson County Animal Control office at 700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 160, in Golden, or Sheriff's Office substations at the following addresses:
- 8100 Shaffer Pkwy, Suite 100 (Ken Caryl)
- 4990 Highway 73, Evergreen
You may also visit one of our approved licensing sites. Click here for a list of local businesses that issue dog licenses.
By Phone
Pet owners may also call 303-271-5070 for an application to obtain a tag through the mail. Dog owners must provide proof of a current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian and proof of spay/neuter status. The license must be renewed annually.
Online
We currently offer online renewals only, provided vaccines are current and spay/neuter status has not changed in the prior year. First-time licensing will be available online in 2011.
Benefits of countywide dog licensing
Licensing reunites lost pets with their owners
A dog license can be traced 24 hours a day, every day of the year by an on-call animal control officer in any part of the county. The license information includes home and alternate phone numbers, a secondary person to contact in case of an emergency, as well as medical and dietary information on the dog.
Prior to the dog license, dog owners were only required to have a current rabies tag on their dog. Rabies tags could only be traced through the issuing veterinary clinic and only when the clinic was open.
Licensing encourages the spaying and neutering of dogs through staggered fees
The license fee differential -- $15 for spayed and neutered dogs and $30 for unaltered dogs -- was designed to encourage people to sterilize their dogs. Animal control officers hope to reduce the number of unwanted pets through this program. Pet overpopulation is a major problem and leads to overcrowding at shelters and the euthanization of far too many pets.
Licensing helps animal control officers regulate dangerous dogs
Licensing can protect you and your animals by allowing animal control officers to track dangerous and aggressive dogs and habitual offenders of animal laws.
Licensing encourages pet owners to vaccinate their dogs against rabies
The rabies vaccine is a prerequisite for a dog license. Countywide licensing will reduce the risk of rabid dog bites throughout the county.
Licensing helps the local animal shelter
Most of the revenues generated by dog licensing will go to fund construction of the Foothills Animal Shelter. The shelter serves as a safe haven for lost animals impounded by animal control officers and for pets relinquished by their owners. It is also the animal adoption facility within Jefferson County for the entire Rocky Mountain region. While the shelter receives the third largest volume of animals of all shelters in Colorado, it has one of the smallest budgets of any major animal shelter in the state.
For More InformationFor more detailed information about dog licensing, contact the police department in your city:
Jefferson County Animal Control (unincorporated Jeffco): 303-271-5070
Arvada Animal Management: 720-898-6850
Golden Code Enforcement: 303-384-8045
Lakewood Citizen Relations: 303-987-7050
Wheat Ridge Community Services Unit: 303-235-2926
Westminster Animal Management Division: 303-430-2400, ext. 4326
Information for Veterinarians
Aside from the benefits for dog owners and the community, veterinarians may benefit from becoming a licensing partner in the following ways:
- Your business has the ability to provide a convenient service to your clients.
- Your business will be listed on the Jefferson County Animal Control Web page as a resource for potential new clients.
- You will be helping to reunite lost pets with owners. (Licenses are traceable at all times without need of a scanner.)
- You have the option of assessing a surcharge on licensing fees.
- Licenses issued to your customers will list the name of your veterinary clinic and alternate contact numbers.
- You will help foster stronger partnerships between your business and your local animal control officers.
Letter to Vets (PDF)
Memorandum of Understanding (PDF)
Please fill out and mail to:
Animal Control / Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
700 Jefferson County Pkwy. #160
Golden, Colorado 80401
Last Modified:
Aug 10, 2010 02:16 PM
