Lacey, WA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Microchipping in the City of Lacey sits inside the licensing rules of section 7.04.040 of the Lacey Municipal Code. Subsection A makes it unlawful to own, keep or have control of a dog or cat considered a pet animal in the city of Lacey without a license. Subsection C then says tattooing or microchip implantation are acceptable auxiliary means of identification but do not replace the license, so a chipped pet still needs the license issued under this chapter.

Subsection B puts a duty on the owner of a dog to keep a collar or harness on the animal with the license tag attached whenever the animal is off the owner's property. Cats get one adjustment: for cats only, a microchip can substitute if a collar is considered a hazard. Animal Services or its agents provide the identification tag on payment of the license fee, and the fee is the one adopted by reference each year by the Joint Animal Services Commission (JASCOM). Licenses are valid for one year, renewed licenses run twelve months from the assigned renewal date, and a license cannot be transferred from one pet animal to another (subsections E, F and G).

Subsection D lets an officer impound a dog or cat that has no authorized and current license tag. Subsection H protects the identification itself: it is unlawful for any person to remove a tag from any dog or cat, or to obliterate any tattoo or microchip registered under the section, without the permission of the owner or issuing authority, other than in a medical emergency. A violation of subsection H is a gross misdemeanor. Under section 7.04.060(C), reclaiming an impounded pet within the forty-eight hour holding period also requires obtaining a license if the animal was not previously licensed.