Oak Park, IL Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Village Code section 5-3-5 requires compulsory microchip implantation for any dog or cat impounded by Oak Park's animal control center. Before the Village will release the animal back to its owner, a microchip must be implanted under the animal's skin, done pursuant to section 10 of the Illinois Animal Control Act, 510 ILCS 5/10. This is a redemption condition layered on top of the impoundment fee schedule set out in section 5-3-4: ten dollars for a first impoundment, twenty five dollars for a second or later impoundment, plus twenty five dollars per day for boarding and any veterinary costs incurred while the animal was in Village custody.

Section 5-3-5(B) makes clear the owner, not the Village, pays for the chip: the cost of the sterilization and the implantation of the microchip is charged to the owner upon redemption. Practically, an owner picking up a dog or cat from the Village's animal control center should expect an itemized bill covering impoundment, boarding, any veterinary treatment, and this microchip charge before the animal is handed back. The rule sits inside Chapter 5, Article 3 (Impounding Procedures), administered by the Village Manager and animal control officers under the chapter's general enforcement authority.

It applies only to animals that have actually been impounded, not to every pet in the Village. The requirement works alongside section 5-3-6(C), which requires any animal adopted out of the shelter, rather than reclaimed by its original owner, to also be licensed, rabies-vaccinated and spayed or neutered within thirty days.