General Laws

[ Text of section effective until October 31, 2012. For text effective October 31, 2012, see below.]

  Section 139. The fee for every license shall, except as otherwise provided, be three dollars for a male dog and six dollars for a female dog, unless a certificate of a registered veterinarian who performed the operation that said female dog has been spayed and has thereby been deprived of the power of propagation has been shown to the town clerk, in which case the fee shall be three dollars. If the town clerk is satisfied that the certificate of the veterinarian who spayed the dog cannot be obtained, he may accept in lieu thereof a statement signed under the penalties of perjury by a veterinarian registered and practicing in the commonwealth, describing the dog and stating that he has examined such dog and that it appears to have been, and in his opinion has been, spayed and thereby deprived of the power of propagation or a receipt of a bill from the veterinarian who performed the operation that spayed such female dog. No fee shall be charged for a license for a dog specially trained to lead or serve a blind person; provided, that the Massachusetts commission for the blind certifies that such dog is so trained and actually in the service of a blind person. No fee shall be charged for a license for a dog owned by a person aged 70 years or over in any city or town that accepts this provision. No fee shall be charged for a license for a dog professionally trained in the hearing dog business to serve a deaf person; provided, that the director of the office of deafness certifies that such dog is so trained and actually in the service of the deaf person. The office on disability shall adopt rules and regulations for the licensing of service dogs and no fee shall be charged for a license for a dog recognized as a service dog. No license fee or part thereof shall be refunded because of the subsequent death, loss, spaying, or removal from the commonwealth or other disposal, of the dog, nor shall any license fee or part thereof paid by mistake be paid or recovered back after it has been paid over to the county under section one hundred and forty-seven.

Chapter 140: Section 139. Fees; certificate or statement that dog has been spayed; service dogs defined by Americans with Disabilities Act; dogs owned by persons aged 70 or over; refunds

[ Text of section as amended by 2012, 193, Sec. 11 effective October 31, 2012. For text effective until October 31, 2012, see above.]

  Section 139. (a) The fee for a license shall, except as otherwise provided, be determined by a city or town; provided, however, that no fee shall be increased without a majority vote of the city or town council or the voters present at a town meeting.

  (b) The license fee for a spayed or neutered dog shall be less than the license fee for an intact dog. Upon application for a license, a city or town clerk shall require a certificate from the veterinarian who spayed or neutered the dog as proof that the dog is spayed or neutered; provided, however, that if the city or town clerk is satisfied that the certificate of the veterinarian who spayed or neutered the dog cannot be obtained, the clerk may instead accept a receipt of a bill from the veterinarian who performed such procedure or a statement signed under the penalties of perjury by a veterinarian registered and practicing in the commonwealth describing the dog and stating that the veterinarian has examined the dog, which appears to have been spayed or neutered and incapable of propagation.

  (c) No fee shall be charged for a license issued under this section for a service animal as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act or regulations promulgated thereunder. No fee shall be charged for a license for a dog owned by a person aged 70 years or over in a city or town that accepts this provision. No license fee or portion thereof shall be refunded because of the subsequent death, loss, spaying or removal from the commonwealth or other disposal of the dog, nor shall a license fee or portion thereof paid by mistake be paid or recovered after it has been paid over to a city or town under section 147.