Dog Licenses

WHICH DOGS MUST BE LICENSED?
All dogs, four months old or over, living in the State of New Hampshire, must be licensed by their owners in the town or city of residence and they must have proof of rabies vaccination. DOG LICENSE APPLICATION

WHEN DO I LICENSE MY DOG?
License a new adult dog immediately. License a puppy as soon as it is 4 months old and has had its first rabies vaccine. The license period runs May 1st through April 30th of each year. License renewals will be accepted after March 1st of each year.

WHAT DO I NEED TO LICENSE MY DOG?
State law requires that before a license is issued, the owner or keeper of a dog must furnish proof to the Clerk that the dog has been vaccinated against rabies. The rabies certificate should be in the name of the owner of the dog, or a letter of ownership from the previous owner should be provided as well.

In addition, the annual license fee is less for a dog that has been spayed or neutered. Evidence of the procedure needs to be supplied to the Clerk. Once this information is on file, it need not be provided for future license renewals.

New Hampshire town and city clerks are notified by local veterinarian offices when rabies vaccinations are administered, and this information may already be on file with the City Clerk. However, all records are not always current for a variety of reasons including: reporting time lag; notice mailed to an incorrect town or city clerk due to differences in the owner’s mailing address and residence; or vaccinations administered at off-site pet clinics or by out-of-state facilities. Feel free to contact the Clerk’s office at (603) 589-3010 if you wish to determine whether or not this information is already on file for your pet.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Puppies and spayed or neutered dogs are $7.50 per year. Male and female dogs that are not spayed or neutered are $10.00 per year. A resident who is 65 years of age or older may license one dog for $3.00 per year; there is no discounted license fee for additional dogs.

WHERE DO I GO?
Nashua residents may license their dogs in person at the City Clerk’s Office located at 229 Main Street, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except holidays.

CAN I LICENSE MY DOG BY MAIL?
You may license your dog by mail using the Dog License Form and enclosing a check for the appropriate fee. We cannot accept credit cards for dog licenses under any circumstances.so we are unable to process license applications that are received by fax or e-mail.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T LICENSE MY DOG?
Failure to license a dog is a violation of state law and city ordinances. In addition to the annual license fee you will be charged a late fee of $1.00 per month for each month (or part of a month) after June 1.

In addition, you are subject to a civil forfeiture fee of $25.00 due within 15 days after receiving notice of forfeiture. If the forfeiture is not paid, the case will be disposed of in Nashua District Court. Any dog off the premises of the owner of the dog without a current registration tag on his collar may be subject to impoundment, a penalty of $25.00, and to all other penalties and provisions as provided by the Nashua Code of Ordinances (Sections 5-1 through 5-11).

WHAT IF I NO LONGER OWN MY DOG?
Please contact the City Clerk by telephone (603-589-3010), fax (603-589-3029), or e-mail (see "Contact Us" link below) if you no longer have a dog or have moved out of the City. We will update our records so that you will not receive any future late notices or notice of forfeiture.