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Leawood repeals dog and cat licensing, requires ID tag or microchip and proof of rabies vaccination
Summary
The Leawood City Council unanimously approved an ordinance removing the city's dog and cat licensing requirement and replacing it with a mandate that animals wear ID tags or be microchipped and remain current on rabies vaccinations; the council also restricted unvaccinated animals from the dog park.
The Leawood City Council on Jan. 21 voted 8-0 to amend the city code to remove the requirement that dog and cat owners purchase city licenses and instead require animals to wear an ID tag or be microchipped and to keep rabies vaccinations current.
The ordinance, presented by Steven Powell, would require ID tags or microchips to include at least an owner telephone number so lost animals can be returned. Powell told the council that tags must be worn whenever an animal is outdoors or in a vehicle and that officials could still require rabies certificates be shown "when requested to do so by an animal control officer or a law enforcement officer." The ordinance also makes it unlawful to bring an unvaccinated dog to the Leawood Dog Park or to violate posted park signage.
The change stems from prior council direction to staff to simplify the licensing process. Powell said the city's animal control officers and the legal department reviewed the drafted ordinance and were "fine with the suggested recommendations." Council discussion focused on ensuring residents are notified of the change and preserving existing enforcement mechanisms for owners with multiple animals.
Council members asked how the city will tell residents who previously purchased tags. Powell said staff will "notify the folks who are registered, either through the CitizenServe licensing portal or via mail. We'll also post it on social media and our website and use all of our other communication tools." Councilmember Julie Kane suggested also notifying homeowners associations.
Councilmember Lisa Harrison asked about enforcement of limits on the number of animals per household. Powell said special animal permits and the permit process remain in place; in practice animal control often learns of households with more than the allowed number via complaints.
A motion to approve the ordinance carried on a roll call vote of 8-0. The official roll call recorded Councilmembers Phillips, Senkel, Larson, Gayed, Sippel, Harrison, Kane and Castor voting "aye." The ordinance amending Section 2-201 of the Leawood City Code took effect as adopted.
The council did not identify any new fines or a transition period in the motion; staff said they will communicate the procedural details to residents once the ordinance is posted and the implementation steps are finalized.
The council moved on after the vote to other agenda items.
