Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Microchipping owned pets
- Voluntary
- Borough microchip benefit
- Lifetime licensing, no 3-yr renewal
- Shelter-released animals
- Microchipping mandatory
- Who pays for shelter microchip
- The owner
- ID tag requirement
- On request, licensed animals
Summary
Microchipping is voluntary for owned dogs and cats under Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code § 24.10.050(C), and a borough-inserted microchip earns the animal lifetime licensing with no renewal. Every dog or cat released from the borough shelter, by contrast, is chipped automatically under § 24.15.070, at the owner's expense.
Microchip identification. The dog or cat owner may have the dog or cat inserted with a microchip identification approved and inserted by the borough with the borough identification number. The microchip identification should be inserted in a location specified by the chief animal care and regulation officer. Animals microchipped by the borough shall have lifetime licensing.
Full Breakdown
010(D)(1). 050(D) also lets a tattoo or microchip be done elsewhere, by someone other than a borough officer, at the owner's expense, so long as the owner reports the identification number and location to the borough. 070 requires that "all dogs and cats released from the animal care and regulation shelter shall receive a microchip implant," with the owner paying the fee set by the assembly and allowed to be present for the insertion if requested. 050(B). 010(A) whether or not the animal is chipped.
Violations & Fines
There is no fine listed in the borough's Title 24 schedule for declining to microchip a privately owned pet, because § 24.10.050(C) makes it optional rather than mandatory. The mandatory shelter-release microchipping duty in § 24.15.070 is an administrative condition of release rather than an infraction with its own listed fine; the borough simply will not release the animal without inserting the chip and collecting the fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I required to microchip my dog or cat?
What do I get for microchipping through the borough?
Will my pet be microchipped if I adopt from the shelter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Compare Matanuska-Susitna Borough to another location·View the Alaska animal ordinances overview
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