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Des Moines Pet Owners: Licensing Fees, Rules, ARL Services Explained
Annual licensing through the City Clerk’s Office, rules for DMMHA tenants and reporting lost pets to the Animal Rescue League form the core of local pet ownership requirements.
How we reported this
Des Moines pet owners must license dogs and cats over six months of age each year through the City Clerk’s Office, paying fifteen dollars for spayed or neutered animals and thirty-five dollars for unaltered pets.
Licensing Requirements
Fees rise by fifty dollars after March thirty-first for any unlicensed pet. Residents aged sixty-five and older may register one cat and one dog for five dollars each. Late fees are waived when a pet is obtained or the resident moves to Des Moines within the prior thirty days.
Housing Policies for DMMHA Tenants
Tenants in DMMHA housing must supply proof of a City of Des Moines license, rabies and distemper inoculations plus spay or neuter status. They pay a three-hundred-dollar refundable pet deposit and may keep only one pet per household, except for a pair of birds.
Reporting Lost Pets
Lost pets should be reported to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa Animal Services at 1441 Harriet Street. Shelter visit hours run Monday through Friday from nine-thirty a.m. to six-thirty p.m. and weekends from nine-thirty a.m. to five-thirty p.m.
Parks and Amenities
The city maintains forty-one parks that include dog-friendly areas. One example is the Downtown Farmer’s Market held Saturdays from May through October. Des Moines records twenty-seven veterinarians per one hundred thousand residents.
These licensing, housing and reporting rules apply directly to daily pet care in Des Moines. Owners can begin by contacting the City Clerk’s Office for current licensing forms and confirming any additional DMMHA requirements before bringing a pet into public housing. For lost animals the first step remains a call or visit to the Animal Rescue League facility on Harriet Street during posted hours.