Town officials are urging dog owners to register their canines as an annual June 30 licensing and renewal deadline approaches.
State law requires all dogs six months or older to be licensed in the town where they live.
Click here for a downloadable application and information on to register a dog for the first time. Find information for online renewals here. (Starting this year, PayPal and Venmo have been added as payment options for online renewals.) Licensing and renewals are handled by the office of the Town Clerk.
Last year, New Canaan had more than 2,700 dogs licensed in town, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm.
Beyond complying with the law, plusses in registering your dog with the town include a “free first ride” back home if police pick up a roaming dog that has on its traceable tag collar, Halm said. There’s a late fee for licensing a dog late, and a police-issued citation for failure to license a dog carries with it a $75 fine.
Halm noted that New Canaan has had many new residents, with dogs, move to town in the past year-plus.
“Many people are not aware of this hidden state law,” she said.
For more information about licensing your canine companion, contact Town Clerk Claudia Weber at 203-594-3067 or 203-594-3071 or Claudia.weber@newcanaanct.gov .