Pet license outreach and education program begins April 1

Staff from Regional Animal Services will inform residents about the benefits of pet licensing

Working with partner cities, staff from Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) will be going door to door on weekends starting April 1 to inform residents about the benefits of pet licensing and ensure that pets are properly licensed. All cats and dogs eight weeks or older in the RASKC service area are required to be licensed with King County.

Pet licensing representatives will visit neighborhoods in the following areas through October: Bellevue, Covington, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, and unincorporated areas of south King County. If a representative finds an unlicensed pet, they will not issue a citation. Instead, they will provide a free temporary license, which provides pet owners time to purchase a permanent license. They will not ask for payment at the door.

King County pet licensing representatives are easily recognized by their King County ID badges, RASKC logo shirts or jackets, business cards, and pet licensing documents. As King County employees, they follow strict guidelines regarding professional conduct. Staff will not peer in windows or over fences looking for pets.

Pet licenses protect pets and the fees help sustain vital animal care and control services, such as:

  • Reuniting owners with their lost pets, including providing licensed pets a free ride home
  • Adopting pets by supporting care at both of King County’s pet adoption centers
  • Responding to reports of dangerous or nuisance animals
  • Investigating and prosecuting cases of animal cruelty or neglect.

A license for spayed or neutered pets is $30, and $60 for unaltered pets. Discounts are available for disabled and senior residents and for young pets. King County pet licenses can be purchased online, by mail, or in person at a pet license partner location. To purchase a pet license, see a list of licensing locations, or get more information about pet licensing, visit www.kingcounty.gov/LicenseMyPet or call 206-296-2712