Pet Licenses and Microchips

A license is your pet’s “ticket home” should he or she become lost.

Fewer than 3% of animals brought in to Animal Care & Control have identification. When a lost animal is found with current identification, Animal Control officers can quickly notify its owners that it is safely at the shelter.

License fees also pay for many vital services performed at the Animal Care & Control Center.

All dogs and cats in the city that are not microchipped must have a current license, renewed every three or five years. A lifetime-of-pet license is also available. If you live outside the city limits of Fort Worth, contact your city or local animal control office to learn more about licensing fees and procedures for your pet.

Licenses are available at the Animal Care & Control Center.

To obtain a license by mail, send a copy of your pet’s current rabies vaccination certificate and a check for the license fee to:

Fort Worth Animal Care & Control
4900 Martin St.
Fort Worth, TX 76119

If your pet has lost its license, you can purchase a replacement tag for $5 with a copy of your original license receipt. Renewals are counted from your old license’s expiration date. 

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As of June 26, 2018, registered microchips are required in Fort Worth for all dogs and cats. Microchipping your pet is the best way to make sure he or she gets home when lost.

Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are implanted under your pet’s skin at the shoulder. They can’t be easily lost or removed like a collar tag. All microchips are listed in a database, making it easy for Animal Control to reunite pets and owners.

Microchips are available through TCAP, from Fort Worth Animal Care & Control and veterinary clinics.

Owners who have their pets microchipped do not need a pet license for their dog or cat.