Joliet, IL Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

City Code Sec. 6-24 governs release of an impounded dog and requires the owner, before redeeming the animal at the animal control center during regular business hours, to prove ownership, show proof of rabies inoculation, have the dog microchipped, and pay the applicable fees. If the dog is not yet inoculated against rabies, it must be vaccinated at the owner's expense before release, using a veterinarian chosen from the city's list of cooperating veterinarians. The section is explicit that the microchipping requirement is a release condition set at the owner's expense, distinct from any registration fee.

A second, independent microchip mandate applies to dogs formally adjudicated dangerous under Sec. 6-28(b)(5)c: once a hearing officer finds a dog dangerous, it must be microchipped if not already chipped, and if it is already chipped, the owner must file proof of the chip with the City of Joliet or its designee. Joliet does not impose a blanket microchip requirement on every dog in the city merely by ownership; the mandate attaches specifically at the point of impound redemption and at the point a dog is declared dangerous, tying the requirement to enforcement events rather than routine licensing.

Both mechanisms are meant to let animal control positively identify a dog that has already triggered an at-large impound or a dangerous-dog finding if it is picked up again.