Blair dog license costs set to rise

State’s new fees, discount elimination effective Feb. 1

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- For some Blair County dog owners, the cost of a 2024 dog license is going up starting Feb. 1. That's the day when the state eliminates its $2 discount on an annual license for spayed and neutered dogs.

Blair County Treasurer James Carothers said he is selling discounted 2024 licenses through Jan. 31 to dog owners who reside inside the county but outside the city of Altoona, which sells its own license.

That changes starting Feb. 1, Carothers said, because that's when the state's new fees become effective. The change means a regular dog license now costing $6.70 for a spayed or neutered canine will increase to $8.70.

It also means that the lifetime license, now costing $31.70 for a spayed or neutered canine, will increase to $52.70.

While discounts will remain intact for senior citizens and those with disabilities, they, too, will pay more starting Feb. 1.

That's when their $4.70 dog license price increases to $6.70 and when their $21.70 lifetime dog license price increases to $36.70.

Carothers, who distributes dog licenses to local retailers, said those retailers will be following the same schedule and charging the same rates starting Feb. 1.

Those wanting to buy licenses before the price increase can stop at the treasurer's office between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the first floor of the Blair County Courthouse, or they can visit one of the following retailers:

– Central Pennsylvania Humane Society, 1837 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd.

– Fiore's True Value Hardware, 5514 Sixth Ave.

– Lighthouse Hardware, 13198 Dunnings Highway, Claysburg.

– Gartland Supply and Country Store, 3961 Cove Mountain Road, Martinsburg.

– Ace Fix-It Hardware, 112 Logan Ave., Tyrone.

– Mill Hill Agway, 161 Mill Hill Road, Williamsburg.

Carothers said dog owners also have the option of completing an online application for a dog license at current prices through a link available on the county's website at www.blairco.org. But the vendor who processes the online application charges a $2 fee for that service.

The price changes in dog license fees developed in 2023 when state lawmakers approved the Dog Law Modernization Bill, an effort to improve conditions for dogs in breeding kennels, daycares and shelters and to improve public safety.

That law now requires all dogs in Pennsylvania to be licensed at the time they're purchased, legal at eight weeks, or when they're three months old, whichever comes first. Fines for unlicensed dogs, under the new law, can be as much as $1,000.

Carothers said that most of the revenue from the sale of dog licenses is used to support the work of dog law enforcement officers who handle a variety of animal-welfare tasks, including efforts to reunite lost dogs with their owners.

Having a dog licensed, Crothers said, has long been recognized as one of the best ways to identify the dog's owner.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay

Stephens is at 814-946-7456.