Rock Hill, SC Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Section 6-46(c) of the Rock Hill City Code requires that, pursuant to South Carolina Code 1976 Section 47-3-55, subsections C and E, all dogs and cats reclaimed from the animal shelter will have a microchip implanted, with the cost of the microchip added to any impoundment and boarding fees; the owner redeeming the dog or cat must elect to have the microchip implanted. The requirement attaches specifically to the reclamation moment: an owner recovering an impounded dog or cat cannot decline the microchip and still get the animal back, and the chip's cost stacks on top of whatever impoundment fee applies under Section 6-46(a) and any daily boarding fee that accrued under Section 6-46(b) if the animal sat unclaimed for more than 24 hours.

Section 6-50 assigns responsibility for setting and collecting that microchip fee, along with adoption, impoundment, boarding and rabies vaccination fees, to York County rather than the city itself, so the exact dollar amount runs on the county's fee schedule rather than a figure fixed in the city code. An owner who also elects the Section 6-47 spay or neuter option at reclamation still pays the full microchip cost on top of a half-price impoundment fee and a waived boarding fee. Rock Hill's code does not separately require microchipping at the point of initial licensing, adoption from a private party, or veterinary purchase; the mandate in Section 6-46(c) is triggered only by reclaiming an animal from impoundment.