County Increases Annual Fees for Animal Business Licenses

Orange County owners of commercial stables, kennels and pet shops will pay more for their animal business licenses after July 1.

The county hasn’t raised its annual fees for animal business licenses since 1986, and it is only increasing them now to cover higher costs for the county, said Sandra Fair, county spokeswoman.

The new fee for a pet shop license, excluding those stores that sell only aquarium supplies, will be $136, up from $92.

Kennel license fees are based on the number of animals at the business. For four to nine animals, the annual fee will be $102. A kennel licensed for 10 to 29 animals will pay $136. For 30 to 59 animals, a kennel operator will pay $189; and for 60 or more animals, the annual fee will be $293.

The categories for commercial stables were restructured to better reflect the county’s cost for inspecting those facilities, Fair said.

“It takes the same amount of time for us to inspect one to nine horses, which is the old category, as it does to inspect one to 19 horses,” she said.

Under the new structure, a stable with up to 19 horses will pay $136 annually. Stables with 20 to 49 animals will pay $189; those with 50 to 99 horses will pay $241, and stables with 100 or more horses must pay $397, Fair said.

The county is also raising to $6 the fee for a rabies vaccination for any dog adopted or retrieved from the county’s animal shelter. An owner redeeming a dog will have to pay for a vaccination unless it can be proved that the animal has been immunized.

Both state and county laws require that all dogs be immunized against rabies, said Mark McDorman, director of field services for Animal Control.