Howard County, MD Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Tag exemption
- Microchipped pets skip the collar tag rule
- Still required
- Underlying dog/cat license under Section 17.301(b)
- Records kept
- Chip numbers filed with each license record
- Tag removal
- Only owner, agent, or Administrator may remove it
Summary
Howard County still requires every licensed dog and cat to wear its license tag, but Section 17.301 exempts an animal with a microchip implanted under the skin from that tag-wearing rule, as long as the chip carries the owner's identifying information. Animal Control also keeps microchip numbers on file cross-referenced to each pet's license record.
(c)License Tag:(1)License tag issued. The Director shall issue an individual license tag for each dog and cat licensed, and upon payment of a replacement fee by the owner shall issue a duplicate if the tag is lost.(2)Tag to be worn; tag nontransferable. Each dog and cat licensed shall wear the tag issued for it attached to a collar or harness. A license tag shall not be obscured or defaced in any way, and shall not be transferred from one animal to another.(3)Exemptions:(i)A dog or cat with a microchip imbedded under the skin which contains information identifying the owner of the animal is not required to wear a license tag.(ii)An animal participating in an organized activity such as a dog or cat show is not required to wear a license tag.(4)Removal. No person other than the owner, the owner's agent, or the Animal Control Administrator may remove a license tag from a dog or cat.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 91 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
301(c) of the Howard County Code requires the Director to issue an individual license tag for every licensed dog and cat, which the animal must wear attached to a collar or harness; the tag cannot be obscured, defaced, or transferred to a different animal. Subsection (c)(3) then carves out two exemptions from the wear requirement: a dog or cat with a microchip implanted under the skin that contains information identifying the owner does not have to wear the tag, and neither does an animal participating in an organized activity such as a dog or cat show.
Only the owner, the owner's agent, or the Animal Control Administrator may remove a license tag from an animal. Microchipping itself is not mandatory in Howard County: the code treats it as an alternative identification method rather than a required procedure. 312(e)(3) directs the Animal Control Administrator to maintain records of microchip identification numbers cross-referenced to each animal's license file, alongside rabies vaccination records, so a chip number entered into the county's system ties back to the same license and owner information used for tag issuance and lost-pet notifications.
Violations & Fines
Removing or altering someone else's pet's license tag without authority is itself restricted to the owner, the owner's agent, or the Animal Control Administrator, and interfering with animal control enforcement generally can be prosecuted under the subtitle's enforcement and interference provisions. Because microchipping only substitutes for the tag-wearing rule and does not replace the underlying county license, an owner who relies on a chip but never licensed the animal is still in violation of the licensing requirement in Section 17.301(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still need to license my dog if it's microchipped in Howard County?
Is microchipping mandatory for pets in Howard County?
What information does Howard County keep on file for a microchipped pet?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Howard County
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