Sep 3, 2026

Summit County Dog Licence: $12, or $20 for Three Years

Six dollars and change a year if your rabies vaccine runs three years, against a fifty dollar fine for skipping it. Plus the tag rule that catches licensed owners out.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Park City, Utah10 min readPet Care & Services

There is no Park City dog licence. Every dog living in Summit County licenses with the county, and the county sells the licence in one-year and three-year terms tied to your dog's rabies vaccination.

The cheapest legitimate route is $20 for three years, if your rabies vaccine runs three years. That is $6.67 a year against a $50 fine for not licensing at all.

What it costs

Verbatim from the county's fee schedule:

Licence	Amount
One year, spayed or neutered	$12
One year, unaltered	$36
Three year, spayed or neutered	$20
Three year, unaltered	$50
Replacement tag	$5

Two things jump out of that table.

The three-year licence is far cheaper per year. $20 for three years against $36 for one year on an unaltered dog is not a subtle nudge.

And an unaltered dog costs three times as much for a year, $36 against $12. Our spaying and neutering your pet guide covers the decision that pricing is pushing you toward, and note separately that the county's fine schedule doubles every penalty for an unsterilised dog.

The rule, and it is mandatory

Verbatim from the county's animal control FAQ:

"Did you know that having your dog licensed and vaccinated against rabies is a Summit County requirement?" "All dogs living in Summit County MUST be licensed."

The capitals are the county's.

And the licence is chained to the vaccination, verbatim: "Dog licenses go hand-in-hand with rabies vaccinations. The expiration date of all licenses shall correspond to the date on which the rabies vaccination expires."

So you cannot choose the term freely. The registration form spells it out, verbatim: "The license must coincide with the rabies vaccination, i.e., rabies vaccination expires 3 years from vaccination date, then purchase a 3 year license. If the vaccination expires in 1 year, purchase a 1 year license."

Which means the three-year saving is only available if your vet gave a three-year vaccine. Ask at the next appointment.

The tag has to be worn

Verbatim: "Owners should attach the tags to the collar of their dog and make sure that the collar and the tags are constantly worn. Failure to adhere to these codes could result in citation."

"Constantly worn", and the citation is $25 under the county's published schedule for failure to display a tag. A licensed dog with the tag in a kitchen drawer is still a citation, which is why a $5 replacement tag is worth ordering the moment one goes missing.

Our Summit County dog fines guide covers the whole schedule, including the $50 for failing to license and the $50 for no rabies vaccination.

Registering, step by step

From the county's dog licence registration form.

Age and vaccination first. Verbatim: "DO NOT register you dog(s) if they are younger than Four months Old or without a rabies vaccination." The typo is the county's.

Four months old and vaccinated, or you are not eligible yet.

Proof of sterilisation, if you want the cheaper price. Verbatim: "MUST provide proof of spay/neuter if purchasing an altered dog license."

What the form asks for. The licence type from the four options above, your details, the prior Summit County dog tag number if you are renewing, and the vaccine information including the rabies tag number and the vaccination date.

Then wait for the post. Verbatim: "Dog licenses are delivered by US Postal Service and are sent out within 7 days from date of order."

Seven days to send, plus postal time. If you have just moved here, that is a reason to do it in your first week rather than your fourth. Our moving to Park City with a dog guide sequences the rest of the arrival.

Where the licence is administered

Summit County Animal Control, and it is worth knowing where that actually is. Verbatim from the animal control page:

"We are located at:" "1745 S Hoytsville Road" "Wanship, UT 84017"

Wanship, not Park City. The counter opens Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the page adds, verbatim: "Closed Sundays & holidays*". We are paraphrasing the hours rather than quoting them because the county separates the times with a dash our house style does not print.

Officers cover longer hours than the counter, at 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Sunday, again paraphrased for the same reason.

Contact, verbatim: "Reach out to us at (435)-336-3985" and [email protected].

One number discrepancy to know about. Park City's own dogs page prints the animal control number as 435-615-3985 rather than the county's (435) 336-3985. Both are published by their respective governments, and our Park City dog rules guide covers the other conflicting numbers too.

What happens if you skip it

Three separate costs, and they compound.

The fine. $50 for failure to license under the county's published citation schedule, plus $25 if the tag is missing and $50 if the rabies vaccination is not current. And the schedule carries a note doubling fines for an unsterilised dog, which turns a paperwork lapse on an intact dog into three figures.

The impound bill, if the dog is picked up. The county charges $35 for a first impound, rising to $45, $55 and then $85 for each subsequent one, plus boarding at $10 a day. An unlicensed dog has no tag for an officer to read, which is exactly the situation impound fees exist for.

And the clock. The county holds a found animal for five days while it tries to trace the owner. A tag shortens that search to one phone call; no tag means the search depends on a microchip and a scanner. Our microchipping your pet guide covers the backup identification, and our lost dog in Park City guide covers the timeline.

One route back, worth knowing. The county's citation page states that a person receiving a citation may request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, and that the judge may dismiss violations on proof of compliance. So licensing after the fact may resolve the citation, which is a reason to fix it immediately rather than argue about it.

Four dogs, then a kennel permit

Not stated as a limit on the licensing page, but visible in two places.

The fee schedule starts kennel permits at "5-15 dogs" for $50, with "16+ dogs" at $100 and a $25 late fee.

And the county's HOA guidance uses a worked example, verbatim: "If your HOA limits residents to two dogs per household, but the county allows four without a kennel permit, the HOA may enforce its rule through fines or warnings".

So four is the threshold, on the county's own account, and the fine for failing to get a kennel permit when you need one is $250.

Your HOA may cap you lower. Verbatim from the same page, HOAs may set their own standards for "Number or breed of pets allowed", and those rules bind residents who agreed to the CC&Rs. What HOAs cannot do, verbatim: "HOAs cannot enforce county laws, nor can they investigate cruelty, handle stray animals, or issue legal citations outside of HOA rules."

What the licence actually buys you

Compliance, which is the main thing. $12 or $20 against $50 for failure to license, $25 for no tag and a doubling rule if your dog is unsterilised.

A route home if your dog is picked up. The county holds a found animal while it tries to trace the owner, verbatim from its lost and found page: "Animal Control's first priority is to try and reunite lost animals with their owners. If the owner cannot be found after 5 days, shelter staff assess the animal's health and temperament and determine if it's safe for adoption."

Five days, and a tag is the fastest way to be found inside them. Our lost dog in Park City guide covers the whole sequence, including the impound and boarding fees that stack up while you look.

And a rabies record that matters after a bite, since rabies vaccination and quarantine requirements are on the county's own list of what it enforces. Our dog bites in Park City guide covers that.

Your licensing checklist

Check the rabies certificate and note the term. One year or three, because it decides which licence you can buy.

Get proof of spay or neuter to hand if you are claiming the altered price.

Register online through the county's form, or ring animal control on (435) 336-3985.

Order the licence in week one if you have just arrived, since it is posted within seven days of the order.

Put the tag on the collar and leave it there. Replacement tags are $5.

And diarise the rabies expiry, because that is the date your licence expires too. Our pet health and vaccination tracker and pet vaccination schedules guides are where to keep it.

One quirk of a rabies-linked licence

Worth understanding because it changes when you renew.

Your licence expiry is not an anniversary of your purchase. It is the rabies expiry, which the county states plainly: the expiration date of all licences corresponds to the date the rabies vaccination expires.

So a licence bought two months before a vaccination lapses is a two-month licence at a one-year price. That is not a trick, it is the consequence of tying the two together, but it is a reason to buy the licence just after a vaccination rather than just before one.

The practical sequence: vaccinate, then licence, then diarise both for the same date. If your vet uses a three-year vaccine, that single appointment buys you a $20 licence covering three years.

And if you are moving here with a vaccination that expires in four months, expect to licence twice in the first year: once now, once after the next vaccination. Ask the county whether a short-term option exists rather than assuming, since the published table has only one-year and three-year rows.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Park City dog licence? No. Licensing is handled by Summit County, and the county states that all dogs living in Summit County must be licensed.

How much is a Summit County dog licence? $12 for one year for a spayed or neutered dog and $36 for an unaltered one, or $20 and $50 respectively for three years. Replacement tags are $5.

Why is the three-year licence cheaper per year? The county prices it that way, but you can only buy it if your dog's rabies vaccination runs three years, because the licence term must coincide with the vaccination.

At what age can I license my dog? The county's form instructs owners not to register dogs younger than four months old or without a rabies vaccination.

What do I need to get the altered price? The form states that you must provide proof of spay or neuter if purchasing an altered dog licence.

How long does the tag take to arrive? The county states that licences are delivered by US Postal Service and sent out within seven days from the date of order.

Sources

Fees change and the county warns they may change without prior notice. Confirm with Summit County Animal Control before relying on any amount.