(a) License required. A dog license obtained in accordance with Chapter 115 of the New York State laws of 1894, as amended, shall be issued by the Department to every person who owns, possesses, keeps, harbors, adopts, purchases, or cares for a dog in New York City for each dog owned, possessed or controlled by such person, except that an animal shelter shall not be required to obtain a license for any dog kept by such shelter and an animal rescue group shall not be required to obtain a license for any dog harbored by such group for less than six months.
(b) License tag required in public. Every person who owns, possesses or controls a dog shall not permit it to be in any public place, or in any open or unfenced area abutting on a public place, unless the dog has a collar about its neck with a currently valid metal tag attached thereto bearing the number of the license obtained for such dog in accordance with Chapter 115 of the Laws of 1894 of the State of New York, as amended or subdivision (c) of this section.
(c) Animal rescue groups. Animal rescue groups shall provide an animal shelter from which they obtain dogs or cats with proof acceptable to such shelter that the persons adopting dogs through their efforts have purchased licenses for such dogs.
(d) Sales of licenses authorized. Licenses may be sold by the Department in any manner that is not prohibited by law. The Department may authorize other persons to sell such licenses, upon such terms and conditions as it deems necessary to promote the sales of licenses. The Department may accept license applications and sell licenses electronically, and may impose a surcharge to cover the actual additional costs of selling licenses electronically, if any, including costs imposed by credit card issuers.
(e) Enforcement. Notices of violation for failure to comply with this section may be issued by any authorized employee, officer or agent of the Department, the Department of Sanitation, the Department of Parks and Recreation, or successor agencies, or by special patrolmen or patrolwomen who have been delegated such duties by their employers.
(Amended City Record 9/20/2017, eff. 10/10/2017)