Thurston County, WA Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Microchipping status
- Optional supplemental ID, not license substitute
- Governing section
- Thurston County Code § 9.10.040(C), (H)
- Tag/chip tampering penalty
- Gross misdemeanor
- Unsterilized dog license fee
- $28.00 per year
- Enforcing agency
- Thurston County Animal Services
- Medical emergency exception
- Removal allowed without consent
Summary
Thurston County treats microchipping as optional, not mandatory. County Code Section 9.10.040(C) allows tattooing or microchip implantation as an auxiliary identification method for a dog or cat, but it never substitutes for the required annual license tag. Section 9.10.040(H) makes it a gross misdemeanor to remove a tag or obliterate a registered microchip without the owner's or issuing authority's permission.
C.Supplemental Identification. Tattooing or microchip implantation are acceptable auxiliary means of identification but do not replace the license. ... H.Tag Removal Unlawful. It is unlawful for any person to remove a tag from any pet animal, or to obliterate any tattoo or microchip registered under this section without the permission of the owner or issuing authority other than in a medical emergency. A violation of this provision shall be a gross misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).
Full Breakdown
040(A); failure to license is a Class 4 civil infraction. The Board of County Commissioners designates agents, including Thurston County Animal Services, to issue identification tags for licensed dogs and cats under subsection (B), and owners must keep a collar or harness on the animal with the tag attached whenever it is off the owner's property. Subsection (C) treats tattooing or microchip implantation only as a supplemental identification method: a microchip supplements the license, it never replaces it, so an owner who only microchips a pet without buying the annual license is still in violation of subsection (A).
381(5)(b)(ii); cat licenses run $18 unsterilized and $10 sterilized, and a duplicate tag costs $3. Licenses run for one year from the date of issuance under subsection (F) and cannot be transferred between animals under subsection (G). Subsection (H) makes it unlawful, absent the owner's or issuing authority's permission, to remove a license tag from any pet animal or to obliterate a tattoo or microchip registered under the section, except in a genuine medical emergency; a violation is a gross misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
Failing to license a dog in unincorporated Thurston County is a Class 4 civil infraction under Section 9.10.040(A), triggering the standard county infraction fine schedule. Tampering is treated far more seriously: removing a license tag or obliterating a registered tattoo or microchip without permission, other than in a medical emergency, is charged as a gross misdemeanor under Section 9.10.040(H), Thurston County's highest misdemeanor tier, chargeable in Thurston County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thurston County require dogs and cats to be microchipped?
What happens if someone removes my pet's microchip or license tag?
How much does a pet license cost in Thurston County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thurston County
Compare Thurston County to another location·View the Washington animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.