• By Todd Luck
• Posted Friday, March 11, 2022

Elimination of Pet Licensing in Forsyth County

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners voted to eliminate differential pet licensing in Forsyth County effective immediately.

On March 3rd, 2022, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved the recommendation from the Forsyth County Animal Advisory Board to eliminate differential pet licensing in Forsyth County. Any pet owner with a dog or cat was previously required to purchase a license annually for each pet from our Animal Services Division (ASD). The pet licensing program was implemented in November 1999. The elimination of the differential pet licensing means that, effective immediately, the only pets required to be licensed are dogs who have been declared Dangerous Dogs by ASD.

In the Forsyth County Code of Ordinances Chapter 6 Article VIII, a Dangerous Dog can be declared by ASD if:

• A Forsyth County resident files a written complaint in regards to a dog that has acted poorly and the resident is willing to testify;
• Dog bite reports filed with the animal services department as required by the ordinance codified in this chapter or state law;
• Actions of the dog witnessed by any animal services officer or law enforcement officer;
• The declaration by another animal services authority pursuant to G.S. 67-4.1; or
• Other credible evidence.
• For more information, visit: https://library.municode.com/nc/forsyth_county

The Dangerous Dog license is required for any Forsyth County resident who possesses a dog labeled as Dangerous. The Dangerous Dog license is a required $100 annual fee.

As a reminder, all residents with dogs, cats, or ferrets are still required to vaccinate their pets against rabies and to keep vaccinations up-to-date. Rabies is a deadly disease transmitted between species, including humans, and poses a threat to our entire community. There is no test available that can be administered to living pets to determine if they have contracted rabies, making the rabies vaccine essential. We work continually to educate and increase the safety of our community members, both two-legged and four-legged. Through our partnership with Forsyth Humane Society (FHS), many resources are available to community members to assist with pet ownership and well-being. Visit https://forsyth.cc/sheriff/animalser_home.aspx and https://forsythhumane.org/ for more information.

As always, the FCSO has a zero-tolerance stance on animal cruelty. Anyone with information related to animal cruelty – or any other criminal activity – should contact the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office directly at 336-727-2112; anonymously text information, photos, and video via Text-A-Tip at 336-920-8477; or anonymously call Crimestoppers at 336-727-2800 for English or 336-728-3904 for Spanish.