Oakland County adopts uniform dog‑license year and $40 delinquent fee; licenses to run 365 days from purchase

Oakland County commissioners voted to adopt a revised dog‑license fee structure that will make licenses valid for 365 days from the date of purchase, mark licenses delinquent if purchased more than 30 days past expiration and impose a $40 delinquent fee.

Animal shelter manager Bob Gett told commissioners the changes are designed to be fairer to pet owners, because under the old system licenses expired on Dec. 31 regardless of purchase date. “Today, under this proposal, licenses will be good for 365 days from the date of purchase,” Gett said.

Gett said all dogs 4 months of age and older must be licensed under the Michigan dog law of 1919 and that delinquent license purchases will incur the new $40 fee. The proposed changes would become effective June 2.

Staff addressed enforcement questions and municipal overlap: commissioners asked whether residents would face duplicate local and county fees; staff said some municipalities (for example, the city of Southfield) maintain their own licensing and do not purchase county tags. Staff also described a vendor rollout and fulfillment backlog after a recent marketing push: DocuPet reminders and a marketing campaign produced a spike in orders — staff reported more than 10,000 licenses sold in March and about 3,200 sold in April to date, compared with 22,000 total licenses sold last year.

Commissioners approved the change by voice vote (5 yeas, 0 nays). Staff said DocuPet is fulfilling backlogged orders and will send tags within days to residents who purchased licenses but had not yet received tags.