Medford, MA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- dog declared dangerous or potentially dangerous
- Ordering officials
- animal control officer, police chief or health director
- Order type
- microchip identification (Sec. 6-44(b)(4))
- Cost
- borne by the dog's owner or keeper
- Related duty
- feral cat caretakers must scan traps for chips
Summary
Medford has no blanket microchip mandate for pets. Sec. 6-44(b) of the Revised Ordinances lets the animal control officer, police chief or health director order microchip identification for a dog once it is declared dangerous, with the owner paying any associated cost.
(b)Duties of animal control when dog is deemed dangerous. When a dog is deemed dangerous, the city animal control officer, police chief or his designees or the director of public health or his designees may take any or all of the following actions and any expenses associated with any such action shall be paid by the owner or keeper of the dog:(1)Seize and impound the dog until further order is made with respect to such dog.(2)Make an order concerning the restraint or disposal of the dog in accordance with M.G.L. c. 140, § 157 including an order to euthanize the dog.(3)Fine owner of a dog which has killed, attacked or inflicted personal injury upon a person or domestic animal.(4)Make an order concerning microchip identification of the dog.
Full Breakdown
The microchip requirement in Medford's code is tied to the dangerous-dog process, not a general pet rule. Once a dog is deemed dangerous under Sec. 6-44, the animal control officer, police chief or director of public health, or their designees, can seize and impound the dog, order restraint or disposal consistent with M.G.L. c. 140, § 157, fine the owner for any injury the dog caused, and make an order concerning microchip identification of the dog, with the owner covering the expense of any of these actions.
Sec. 6-45(b) repeats the same microchip-order power for dogs declared "potentially dangerous," such as those impounded three or more times in twelve months for running off-leash. Separately, in the feral cat article, Sec. 6-110(b) requires anyone registered as a feral cat caretaker to check every trapped cat for existing microchip identification and to report a chip find to the animal control officer. Outside these two contexts, an owner is not required by the local code to implant a chip in a healthy, unreported dog or cat.
Because the microchip order is one of the compliance conditions attached to a dangerous or potentially dangerous designation, failing to carry it out is treated the same as ignoring any other order under those sections.
Violations & Fines
Failing to comply with a microchip order issued under a dangerous-dog designation draws the Sec. 6-44(l) fine of $500 after 30 days' notice, with each noncompliant day a separate offense. Under a potentially-dangerous designation, Sec. 6-45(e) instead fines $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $300 for a third or later offense of any ordered condition, including a microchip order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Medford require every dog to be microchipped?
Who can order my dog to be microchipped in Medford?
What if I ignore a microchip order for my dangerous dog?
Do feral cat caretakers have microchip duties?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medford
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