Jessamine County, KY Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Section 90.10 of the Jessamine County Code is titled Microchipping Animals. Its single operative rule, subsection (A), says all animals released from the county animal shelter, whether by return to owner or adoption, shall be implanted with a microchip prior to release. Canines released by return to owner are also subject to the canine licensing fees outlined in § 90.04. A hound or other hunting dog impounded at the shelter because it became temporarily lost or wandered from the immediate control or sight of its owner or handler while hunting, as established in KRS 258.215, is exempt from the requirement.

Section 90.02(D) repeats the rule for dogs picked up running at large: all canines are injected with a microchip before release from the animal shelter, and the owner pays the return to owner fee set by the Fiscal Court and shows proof of a Jessamine County Canine License or pays the associated fees.

The canine licensing program in § 90.04 is built around the chip. Its stated purpose is to help Animal Care and Control identify stray dogs, control the population of unwanted dogs and insure the safe return of pets, using a computerized data base of owner, age, breed, marking, sex and electronic ID. Owners of canines four months of age or older must license each dog within 30 days of acquiring it. At licensing the owner gives a name, address, driver's license number or Kentucky Identification Card, and telephone number, plus the name, breed, color and sex of each canine. An owner is free at initial licensing to request that the chip not be included, and then must affix the serial numbered tag to the collar at all times.

Participating veterinarians can sell licenses and must forward the information to Animal Care and Control within seven days. They can use county microchips or a microchip of their choice, and they receive a portion of each sale. The lifetime license at $50.00, with $35.00 as the veterinarian portion, requires both a microchip and surgical alteration.