Montgomery, AL Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 4-88
- Age requirement
- Dogs and cats over 9 months
- Update window
- 30 days after address/ownership change
- Dismissal option
- Microchip before court date, Sec. 4-88(d)
- Phase-in
- Dogs required within 12 months of 5-3-2022
Summary
Montgomery, Alabama requires every dog or cat over nine months old to be microchipped and registered with a national microchip registry unless a narrow exception applies. City Code Sec. 4-88 lets a cited owner avoid the charge by microchipping before the court date.
Required. No person may own, keep, harbor, or have custody or control of any dog or cat over nine months of age within the city limits without having said dog or cat implanted with a microchip that is to be registered with a national microchip registry unless one of the exceptions below is met. ... Owners charged under this ordinance may submit proof to the municipal court that they have had their dog or cat microchipped and registered before their scheduled court date to have the charge dismissed. Dog owners must have all dogs microchipped within 12 months after the date of its passage.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 4-88(a) states no person may own, keep, harbor, or have custody or control of any dog or cat over nine months of age within the city limits without the animal implanted with a microchip registered to a national microchip registry, unless an exception applies. Sec. 4-88(b) lists three exceptions: the animal cannot be safely microchipped for health reasons verified by a state-licensed veterinarian, the owner has resided in the city fewer than 30 days, or the owner lives outside the city and the animal will not stay in the city longer than 30 days.
Subsection (c) requires the owner to keep their contact information current with the registry, updating it within 30 days of a change of address, and a new owner must register their own contact information within 30 days of a change of ownership. Subsection (d) gives a charged owner a way out: proof to the municipal court that the dog or cat has since been microchipped and registered, submitted before the scheduled court date, gets the charge dismissed. Subsection (e) set a phase-in for existing dogs, requiring all dogs to be microchipped within 12 months of the ordinance's passage date (Ord.
No. 15-2022, effective May 3, 2022), meaning that grace period has long since closed and the requirement is now fully in force for both dogs and cats.
Violations & Fines
As a Chapter 4, Article III violation, a first conviction under Sec. 4-88 carries a minimum $50.00 fine, rising to $250.00 for a second conviction within 12 months and $500.00 for a third or later conviction, under Sec. 4-2(b). An owner charged under the ordinance can have the case dismissed by presenting proof of microchipping and registration to the municipal court before the scheduled hearing date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to microchip my pet in Montgomery, Alabama?
Can I get a microchipping citation dismissed?
What if I just moved to Montgomery with an unchipped pet?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Montgomery
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