Three Forks dog license renewals are due April 15

Three Forks residents with dogs must renew their license by April 15, per City Ordinance 6-4A-2.

Dog licenses cost $15 per dog and must be renewed annually. Owners of four or more dogs must apply for a kennel license. The kennel license costs an additional $50 per year on top of individual dog licenses.

To register a dog, bring a copy of the animal’s rabies certificate(s) and the appropriate payment to City Hall by the April 15 deadline.

There are no late fees for registration after the deadline; however, fines are applicable after the due date.

Forks’ three licensing laws have been in effect since April 1910. Although the city council has changed the law in the past 132 years, the meaning and purpose have remained the same.

The purpose of the licenses is to protect the local dog population from the spread of diseases such as rabies, City Clerk Crystal Turner said in an email exchange.

The city also uses the license list when a dog is loose in the city. When a dog “runs loose,” the city calls all owners with a licensed dog that matches the description.

Turner says owners of licensed dogs found loose will receive a warning that the animal was running loose. However, the police will take dogs loose without a license to the heart of the valley.

In addition to paying fees at the pound, the owner can get a ticket for having a dog without a license and another for having a dog on the loose.

A judge could issue either of these tickets up to $500 each or $1,000 for dangerous dogs.

City of Three Forks Ordinance 6-4A-1 defines a dangerous dog as “any dog ​​that bites or attempts to bite a human without provocation, or harasses, chases, bites, or attempts to bite any other animal.”

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