Frequently Asked Questions
You may obtain a license at the Clinton County Auditor’s Office, First Floor Clinton County Courthouse.
You must obtain a license every year for each dog over 3 months old. The usual licensing period begins December 1 and the deadline is January 31 of each year after which late penalties apply.
As a courtesy to others and to protect your dog. Your dog running through a neighbor’s garden, making a mess in a neighbor’s yard, biting a child or harming farm animals is preventable.
The dog owner may be held responsible for both personal injury and property damage done by their dog.
You must maintain control of your dog at all times. The Ohio Revised Code specifies that all dogs must be kept confined to your property or under reasonable control at all times.
The confinement law is a state requirement; a dog must be controlled in both urban and rural areas of the county. Municipalities may have additional regulations regarding dog control.
(Ohio Rev. Code 955.22c) states no owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog shall fail at any time to keep it either physically confined or restrained upon the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer by a leash, tether, adequate fence, supervision, or secure enclosure to prevent escape, or under reasonable control of some person, except when the dog is lawfully engaged in hunting accompanied by the owner, keeper, or harborer or a handler.
Licensing is a requirement of Ohio law for all dogs. The license, attached to your dog's collar, will identify you as the owner. If the dog is impounded by the Dog Warden's office and is wearing its tag, you can then be notified. Dogs not wearing their current license tags are held 3 days or as otherwise required by law. Wearing a current dog tag can be your dog’s ticket to being identified and returned home. All dogs, in town and in the country, must be licensed.
(Ohio Rev. Code 955.01) states that every person who owns, keeps, or harbors a dog must license that dog every year on or before January 31st. (Ohio Rev. Code 955.10) states no owner of a dog shall fail to require the dog to wear, at all times, a valid tag issued in connection with a certificate of registration. Failure of dog to wear a tag can result in fines and/or impounding of your dog.