From Fairfax County: All dogs four months of age or older must be licensed. Licenses are good for one year and must be purchased by January 31st.
- License Fees: The fee to purchase a dog license is $10, for all dogs.
- License tags are issued free of charge to the owners of dogs trained and serving as a guide dog for a blind person, a hearing dog for a deaf person, or a service dog for a mobility-impaired person.
License tags may be purchased by mail, on-line or in person, as follows:
- By Mail: Send a completed copy of the Dog License Application, a check payable to the County of Fairfax, and a current certificate of rabies vaccination to the County of Fairfax, Department of Tax Administration, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 223, Fairfax, VA 22035.
- On Line (Renewals Only) - Rabies vaccination date must be current to purchase a dog license.
Pursuant to a competitively bid contract, the processing fee of $0.65 is a charge imposed by the County's e-commerce vendor, Govolution, for processing all electronic dog tag transactions, including e-checks. The amount is based on Govolution's cost analysis of processing such payments. The processing fee goes to Govolution, not the County. The County only receives the $10 tag fee.
The on-line payment option for dog tags is in the initial implementation stages. At this time, only one dog tag can be processed per transaction, and Govolution charges the processing fee per payment transaction. The County will continue to explore future options to allow multiple dog tags to be purchased at one time, under one processing fee, but this is not presently available. If Govolution's on-line fee is a limiting factor, payment can still be made at no additional charge by mailing a check to the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration (DTA).
- In Person: Bring a completed copy of the Dog License Application, a check payable to the County of Fairfax, and a current certificate of rabies vaccination, to one of the following locations:
- The Department of Tax Administration at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 223, Fairfax between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays (8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays) or
- The Animal Shelter at 4500 West Ox Road, Fairfax between noon and 7:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or Saturday between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
- Those who have bought tags in prior years will automatically receive application forms in the mail in October.
- For questions regarding license fees, call 703-222-8234 [TTY: 703-222-7594].
No longer own a dog?
