Chicopee, MA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Chapter 144 of the Chicopee Code has no general microchip requirement. The only microchip provision is § 144-23(C)(4), one of nine orders the Board of Health can choose from after it declares a dog a nuisance dog or dangerous dog at a special hearing. The order reads that the animal is surgically sterilized and microchipped with the microchip registered to the City, with all costs associated with these services borne by the owner.

The path to that order starts with a written complaint to the Board of Health or its designee. An animal control officer can initiate a special hearing, and the Animal Control Center notifies the owner by certified letter or Sheriff's Department delivery. The hearing is a public meeting. The Board can order one or more measures, so microchipping can arrive alongside humane restraint, confinement to the owner's premises, a muzzle and tether whenever the dog leaves the premises, or a secure enclosure built within two weeks.

Microchip cost also shows up when an impounded dog is reclaimed. Under § 144-23(D), an owner reclaiming a dangerous or nuisance dog pays an administrative fee of $40 plus applicable costs, including a boarding fee of $22 per dog, per day, all outstanding fines except those under timely appeal, veterinary charges, the cost of sterilization, rabies vaccinations, license and registration, and the cost of microchip implementation and registration.

For every other dog in the City of Chicopee the identification rule is the license tag. Under § 144-20(F) the licensing authority issues a durable tag or identification collar stamped with an identifying number and year of issuance, and § 144-20(G) requires dogs to wear identification tags at all times. The City Clerk keeps the tag records and makes them available to the public.