Texas · city rule
Houston dog license
Licensing paperwork in Houston goes to BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions. Anyone who owns, keeps, or has control of a dog or cat four months or older must register it, vaccinate it against rabies every year, and have a registered microchip. The official page states this fee: Unaltered $60; altered $20; senior citizen altered $2; altered service animal $0 the first year and $2 on renewal. Late fee $10 if submitted 60 days or more after vaccination. Registration is renewed yearly. Read the linked page before you pay, because a form can change.
Checked against the official page on October 11, 2026. Ordinances change. Confirm the fee and the office before you pay.
- Licensing office
- BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions
- What the official page says
- Anyone who owns, keeps, or has control of a dog or cat four months or older must register it, vaccinate it against rabies every year, and have a registered microchip.
- Fee
- Unaltered $60; altered $20; senior citizen altered $2; altered service animal $0 the first year and $2 on renewal. Late fee $10 if submitted 60 days or more after vaccination.
- Official page
- Official page →
Anyone who owns, keeps, or has control of a dog or cat four months or older must register it, vaccinate it against rabies every year, and have a registered microchip. The rabies document must be a veterinarian-signed certificate. That is the rule taken from the fetched page, not from a neighboring city. Read the linked page before you pay, because a form can change.
The official page states this fee: Unaltered $60; altered $20; senior citizen altered $2; altered service animal $0 the first year and $2 on renewal. Late fee $10 if submitted 60 days or more after vaccination. The page says an altered service animal is not free on renewal. The state context is Texas, and the city page controls if it is more specific.
In Houston, start with the office named above and the linked government page. A rabies certificate from a veterinarian shows the vaccine. It is the city or county license only if that official page says the certificate is the license. Tags issued by another city do not automatically transfer when you move to Houston. Ask whether the page's age rule, late fee, and spay or neuter difference apply to your dog before you pay.
Key facts for Houston
- Anyone who owns, keeps, or has control of a dog or cat four months or older must register it, vaccinate it against rabies every year, and have a registered microchip.
- Fee on the official page: Unaltered $60; altered $20; senior citizen altered $2; altered service animal $0 the first year and $2 on renewal. Late fee $10 if submitted 60 days or more after vaccination.
- Registration is renewed yearly.
- The rabies document must be a veterinarian-signed certificate.
Official sources
Official page used for the city rule.
What to do next
- Use BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions for a dog kept in Houston.
- Bring the proof the page names, usually a rabies certificate.
- Ignore a fee that is not on the official page.
Statewide context is on the Texas guide. Other verified cities are on the city index.