This bill amends the current dog licensing law to allow owners of 7 or fewer dogs to obtain a group license, replacing the previous threshold of 5 or more dogs. The bill introduces a new fee structure, setting the group license fee at $28, with $2 allocated to a companion animal neutering fund and $18 retained by the municipality. Additionally, if an owner with a group license has more than 7 dogs, they must obtain individual licenses for each additional dog, with fees determined by existing regulations plus a supplemental fee based on the number of extra dogs owned. The bill also changes the age limit for exempting puppies from licensing fees from 3 months to 6 weeks.

Furthermore, the bill imposes additional requirements on holders of group licenses, including a provision that prohibits the sale, gifting, or trading of any dog without first obtaining a license for that dog. The legislation ensures that town clerks cannot refuse to issue a group license to compliant owners and mandates that numbered license tags be provided upon request. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, and is projected to have a fiscal impact of less than $10,000 annually for the years 2025 through 2028.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 466:6