Dec. 3, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 465

For further information, contact Carla Cassell-Carter, 302-739-9911, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Dog licensing to be transferred to counties on Jan. 1, 2010

Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, the State of Delaware will transfer the responsibility of dog licensing and dog control to each county. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, at the direction of the Delaware General Assembly, has worked with New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties for the past three years on this transfer.

According to Patrick Emory, Director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife, “Dog control and licensing is a local issue, and the transfer to the local county level will result in programs that are designed to address issues unique to each county.”

Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, residents will purchase licenses from their county of residence. Licenses will be valid statewide. City of Wilmington residents are exempt from the requirement to purchase a New Castle County dog license, but as in the past are required to purchase a dog license from the City. 

Licenses purchased from the State of Delaware before Jan. 1 will be valid through the expiration period and upon expiration, dog owners will be required to purchase the appropriate county license.

“We appreciate the extraordinary cooperation of the counties through this transition,” said David Small, DNREC Deputy Secretary. “We recognize this is a challenging time for the counties to be taking on additional responsibilities but we believe the citizens of Delaware will be better served through county programs. In addition, the Kent County SPCA has demonstrated it can deliver quality services state wide since taking over the contracts in New Castle and Kent Counties in 2007.

For information, Kent, Sussex and New Castle residents should contact the Kent County SPCA at 302-698-3006 or toll-free at 888-352-7722. In addition, a Sussex County number, 302-855-7380, will be operational by Jan. 1, 2010.

City of Wilmington residents are advised to call the Delaware Humane Association at 302-571-0101 for dog licensing information.