Campbell County is eliminating its dog licensing fee to increase compliance and streamline the process.
The current $5 fee will be eliminated, but residents will still be required to register their dogs so the county can track rabies vaccination records.
“We hope that we’ll get more information by being able to have this process online and not having a fee and having go to the animal shelter as part of the process,” Campbell County Administrator Matt Elberfeld said.
Eliminating the fee will also allow the county to move the process entirely online, enabling residents to submit a dog license request on the county’s website. The county will then mail the tag.
This will take effect July 1, 2026.
The Boone County Fiscal Court made a similar move earlier this year by eliminating its fee.
During the Dec. 17 fiscal court meeting, the county also held a reading to update the code of ordinances for animals. The main changes were around the humane treatment of animals, in which the county was adding language requiring some grooming standards, nothing that is related to appearance, but making sure an animal is groomed so it can still eat and drink.
The county also added a cost-to-care provision that, if an animal is in the county’s custody during criminal proceedings, allows them to more easily recover related expenses.
“We’ve worked with the county attorney’s office on this to kind of address some of the issues we’ve seen through animal violations,” Elberfeld said.
Campbell County Commissioner Geoff Besecker said the county did a lot of work throughout 2025 on its animal services.
“It seems like from the beginning of this year to even the very last meeting, we have straightened that [animal services] up, and it’s a lot in part, to Lisa’s [animal services director] expertise and her passion for that, certainly the staff working to make sure that we’re providing the most efficient manners to not only our residents, but our cities, in some cases, with the expanded services,” Besecker said. “I think it’s one more reason that we can look to what we do here as best for not only these animals, but for animal services, the folks that work there, and the residents.”
Other measures the county took throughout 2025 to improve its animal services that Besecker alluded to include its partnership with Boone County for veterinary services. It also expanded animal control hours.