Elko County, NV Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

The spay and neuter rule in Section 7-2-11(A) of the Elko County Code is a condition of adoption. After the claiming period in Section 7-2-10(A), which is five days after impoundment, the Animal Control Officer can offer an apparently healthy animal for adoption. For a dog or cat, the adoptive owner must agree to have the animal neutered or spayed at the expense of the adoptive owner. The adopter must also present a valid rabies tag or certificate from a licensed veterinarian, or a veterinarian's statement that the dog should not be vaccinated, to the Animal Control Officer within thirty days of adoption. Adoption of animals other than dogs and cats follows Section 7-2-20 instead. The Board of County Commissioners adopted the policy in Ordinance 1994-A and amended it in Ordinance 2023-02 on February 15, 2023.

The second spay and neuter provision is the license fee. Section 7-2-4(D) charges every owner of a dog over six months in age an annual fee to the County Clerk: $5.00 for a spayed female or neutered male dog and $10.00 for a nonspayed female or nonneutered male dog. Section 7-2-1 defines a spay or neutered dog as one surgically rendered incapable of producing offspring, as evidenced by a signed statement from a licensed veterinarian, and a non-altered dog as one that has not been. The fee is due on or before January 1 of each year, and a penalty of three dollars is added if it is not paid within sixty days of the due date. A guide dog license is issued without charge.

The sections read for this page contain no general order to sterilize a pet owned outside the adoption process. Breeding is regulated by permit instead: Section 7-2-27 requires a business that keeps or boards dogs or cats for sale or profit, or acts as a breeder, to obtain a one-year permit from the Elko County Sheriff's Office.