Ankeny, IA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Ankeny's Code of Ordinances does not require every dog or cat owner in the city to microchip a pet; the requirement only attaches after a dog has already been declared dangerous under Chapter 57's behavior-based standard. Section 57.03, Keeping of Dangerous Dogs Regulated, lists the microchip duty as item 6 in the set of regulations that apply to the owner or caretaker of any dog determined to be dangerous pursuant to the provisions of the City Code. The owner has sixty days from the date the City's notification declaring the dog dangerous is received to have the dog microchipped, and the section makes clear that the owner bears that expense personally, not the City or its contracted animal society.

The microchip duty stacks on top of, rather than replaces, the separate dog and cat licensing requirement in Chapter 56, which every dog in Ankeny must satisfy regardless of dangerous-dog status. The Code states its purpose for the chip requirement directly: it is meant to assist in locating the dangerous dog should it be found at large, tying the microchip mandate to Ankeny's separate at-large enforcement under section 55.06 and its impoundment procedure under section 55.15, since a chipped dog picked up loose can be traced back to its owner even without a visible tag.