Davis County, UT Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

060 governs how the Davis County animal shelter, not private owners generally, may release a dog or cat that has not already been sterilized. Before transfer the shelter must obtain a written agreement, signed by the recipient, acknowledging the animal is unsterilized and committing to have it sterilized within thirty days if the animal is six months or older, or within thirty days after it turns six months if it is younger. The recipient must also pay a sterilization deposit, which can be structured as part of the adoption fee routed to a veterinarian who bills the shelter directly, or as a refundable deposit returned once proof of sterilization reaches the shelter within three months of the procedure and forfeited if it does not.

The ordinance sets a floor of twenty-five dollars for that deposit, based on the average reduced sterilization cost for the animal's gender and weight, and only one deposit is required when a mother and her litter go to the same recipient. Forfeited and unclaimed deposits may only fund the shelter's own sterilization programs, sliding-scale fee programs, public education on pet overpopulation, or follow-up checks that adopted animals were actually altered. Proof of sterilization must be a signed statement from a veterinarian licensed under Title 58 Chapter 28, the Veterinary Practice Act, naming the animal, the date and the location of the procedure.