Olympia, WA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

The Olympia Municipal Code does not make microchipping a condition of owning a pet. In OMC 6.04.040(C), tattooing or microchip implantation are described as acceptable auxiliary means of identification that do not replace the license. The license tag remains the required identification for a dog or cat in the City of Olympia.

The one place a chip stands in for something is the tag rule in OMC 6.04.040(B). Animal Services or its agents provide an identification tag for each dog or cat licensed, on payment of the license fee. The owner of a dog must keep a collar or harness on the animal with the license tag attached if the animal is off the owner's property. For cats only, a microchip may substitute if a collar is considered a hazard. A dog has no such substitution.

The license itself is valid for one year from the date of issuance and is not transferable from one pet animal to another under OMC 6.04.040(F) and (G). Fees are set by Council through contract or, without a contract, by resolution filed with the City Clerk. A dog or cat without an authorized and current license tag can be impounded under OMC 6.04.040(D), and a person who reclaims an impounded animal that was not previously licensed must obtain a license as one of the conditions in OMC 6.04.100(C).

OMC 6.04.040(H) protects the identification system. It is unlawful to remove a tag from any dog or cat, or to obliterate any tattoo or microchip registered under Chapter 6.04, without the permission of the owner or issuing authority, other than in a medical emergency.