License Online

Payment for your license is due by March 31st. If you are licensing for the first time, you must purchase a license within 30 days of obtaining a pet over the age of 6 months or within 30 days of moving into the City of Sterling Heights.

A late fee of $13.00 is added to the license fee if your license is not purchased by the due date.

Ready to purchase your license? You may license online and pay for your license with a major credit card. A convenience fee of $2.00 will apply for each transaction. Multiple pets can be licensed in one transaction.

Any required documents, such as your pet's rabies vaccination certificate, may be scanned and uploaded or submitted later by fax, mail or email. The license will be issued after all required documents are received.

Please note that free licenses cannot be obtained through the online payment system. If you are a senior citizen (60+), please click here for other submission options.

Click here to begin.

If you prefer to pay by check or money order, click here to license by mail. If you need assistance, you may call customer service at 1-800-574-1453.

Licensing Fees Effective 7/1/25	1 Year	2 Year*	3 Year*
Unaltered Dog	$25.00	$45.00	$65.00
Spayed/Neutered Dog	$12.00	$18.00	$24.00
Senior Owner (60+)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Service Dog	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
End of Year License for New Pets	After November 1st
Unaltered Dog	$13.00
Spayed/Neutered Dog	$7.00
Other Fees
Replacement Tag	$7.00
Late Fee (After March 31st)	$13.00

* Multi-year licenses are available if the pet's rabies vaccination is current based on chart below. For licenses purchased in 2026:

• 1 year: expires 3/31/27, rabies vaccination must be current on purchase date.
• 2 year: expires 3/31/28, rabies vaccination must be current through 4/2/27.
• 3 year: expires 3/31/29, rabies vaccination must be current through 4/2/28.

The cost for licensing unaltered or fertile pets is higher than for licensing spayed or neutered pets in order to promote sterilization and to reduce pet overpopulation.

Please note that Potentially Dangerous Dogs must be licensed through City Hall and cannot be licensed through the mail or online.