Calvert County, MD Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Section 7-5-202(E) lists what an owner must do once Animal Services declares an animal dangerous, and item (7) requires the owner or custodian to provide Animal Control proof of the dangerous animal having been spayed or neutered. Subsection (7)(a) allows only a brief extension, and only if the Deputy Director of Animal Services grants it after the owner submits a written opinion from a Maryland-licensed veterinarian stating the procedure is not medically advisable for that particular animal within the time prescribed. This spay/neuter proof sits alongside the rest of the dangerous-animal package the owner must complete within 30 days of the declaration: a secure escape-proof enclosure or six-foot perimeter fence, a $100,000 public liability insurance policy, posted warning signage, a microchip with owner information reported to Animal Control, and a current photo of the animal.

If the owner appeals the dangerous designation to the Animal Matters Hearing Board within 30 days, every requirement except the enclosure-construction and initial-inspection items still applies while the appeal is pending, so the spay/neuter proof remains due. Outside a dangerous-animal declaration, Calvert County leaves the decision to spay or neuter a pet to the owner; the Board of County Commissioners instead offers optional low-cost spay and neuter services through a county veterinary hospital or contracted veterinarians.