Chapter 3. Dog Tags of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 14. >> Chapter 3.

(a) A board of supervisors may provide for the issuance of serially numbered metallic dog licenses pursuant to this section. The dog licenses shall be stamped with the name of the county and the year of issue.
  (b) The board of supervisors or animal control department may authorize veterinarians to issue the licenses to owners of dogs who apply.
  (c) The licenses shall be issued for a period of not to exceed two years.
  (d) In addition to the authority provided in subdivisions (a), (b), and (c), a license may be issued, as provided by this section, by a board of supervisors for a period not to exceed three years for dogs that have attained the age of 12 months, or older, and who have been vaccinated against rabies. The person to whom the license is to be issued pursuant to this subdivision may choose a license period as established by the board of supervisors of up to one, two, or three years. However, when issuing a license pursuant to this subdivision, the license period shall not extend beyond the remaining period of validity for the current rabies vaccination.

Each application for a dog license tag shall state the age, sex, color, and breed of the dog for which the license is desired and the address of the owner.

(a) The animal control department shall endorse upon the application for a dog license tag the number of the license tag issued.
  (b) All applications that have been endorsed shall be kept on file in the office of the animal control department open to public inspection.

The fee for the issuance of the dog license tag is fifty cents ($0.50). The board of supervisors may, however, increase the fee.

Whenever dog license tags are issued pursuant to this division, any such tag shall be issued for one-half or less of the fee required for a dog, if a certificate is presented from a licensed veterinarian that the dog has been spayed or neutered.

(a) The owner of a nonspayed or unneutered dog that is impounded once by a city or county animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or humane society, shall be fined thirty-five dollars ($35) on the first occurrence, fifty dollars ($50) on the second occurrence, and one hundred dollars ($100) for the third or subsequent occurrence. These fines are for unneutered impounded animals only, and are not in lieu of any fines or impound fees imposed by any individual city, county, public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane society shelter.
  (b) An animal control officer, humane officer, police officer, peace officer, or any agency authorized to enforce the Penal Code may write citations with a civil penalty stated in an amount corresponding to the violation as provided in subdivision (a). The fines shall be paid to the local municipality or public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane society shelter. Any funds collected under this section shall be expended for the purpose of humane education, programs for low cost spaying and neutering of dogs, and any additional costs incurred by the public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group in the administration of the requirements of this division.
  (c) This section applies to each county and cities within each county, regardless of population.
  (d) No city or county, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or humane society is subject to any civil action by the owner of a dog that is spayed or neutered in accordance with this section.

The board of supervisors shall fix the compensation of the animal control department for issuing dog license tags.

Any licensed kennel may be exempted pursuant to regulation or ordinance from any requirement to obtain a license tag for each dog within the kennel.