Photo: Pet licenses will be available in January.

It’s time to do the annual renewal of your dog and cat license to comply with Massachusetts General Laws as well as the Belmont bylaw, according to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. Make sure you license your pet by the March 15 deadline to avoid the automatic increase in fees and $50 enforcement violations.

If your pet has an up-to-date rabies vaccination currently on file with the Town Clerk’s Office, renewal of the pet license can be accomplished in fewer than two minutes by renewing and paying online. The convenience fee for a $12 pet license is an additional $1.22.

At the homepage for the Town, www.belmont-ma.gov, select Online Payments, then License my Pet online. If the system does not allow you to renew online, you’ll need to send us an updated rabies vaccination certificate – to townclerk@belmont-ma.gov or fax to 617-993-2601; we’ll update the record and you’ll be able to license online immediately thereafter.

First time licenses for new pets must be by paper application with the veterinarian certificate of rabies vaccination.

Pet license applications – both online renewals and fillable pdf – are available on the Town Clerk’s webpage at http://www.belmont-ma.gov/town-clerk; a paper pet license application will also be included with every census mailing to Belmont households in January. The Town Hall continues to be closed to the public so please use our secure Town Clerk Mail secure drop box located along the driveway to the left at the base of the steps to Town Hall at parking lot level.

Fees Applicable, Jan. 1 – March 15:

• Spayed or neutered cats and dogs: $12 ($9 if the owner is 60 years or older)
• Unaltered cats and dogs: $37 ($34 if the owner is 60 years or older)

Beginning March 16, the fees increase significantly.