Pocatello, ID Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

The microchip mandate is one piece of the dangerous-animal restraint and care scheme in Section 6.04.060, triggered only after a court conviction for dangerous conduct under Section 6.04.050. Subsection (D), Microchip Implantation And Alteration Required, gives the owner five days from conviction to have the animal microchipped, either through a licensed veterinarian or through the Animal Services Department directly, and the owner bears all associated costs; if a veterinarian performs the work, the owner must also submit proof of implantation to Animal Services. The same subsection layers on a second, longer-fuse requirement: the owner must have the animal spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian and provide proof of that alteration within 30 days of conviction.

Microchipping also resurfaces later in the dangerous-animal registry process: Section 6.04.060(H) requires that anyone applying for or renewing a dangerous-animal registration certificate present satisfactory evidence the animal is permanently identified by a registered microchip, alongside proof of current rabies vaccination and the spay/neuter proof already required under subsection (D). This differs from the citywide cat licensing rule in Section 6.04.155(B), which asks owners to provide proof of a registered microchip to use as a city license tag but does not make microchipping a punishment triggered by a court conviction; the Section 6.04.060(D) requirement is specifically the consequence of being adjudicated a dangerous-animal owner, backed by the same enforcement scheme covering signage, secure confinement, and the annual registry described elsewhere in Section 6.04.060.