Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3923-A – License and recording fees
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Except as provided in subsection 3 and section 3923?C, a dog owner or keeper obtaining a license from a municipal clerk, dog licensing agent or dog recorder shall pay the license and recording fees established in this section. For purposes of this section, “dog licensing agent” means an animal shelter or a veterinarian pursuant to section 3923?F. [PL 2013, c. 115, §10 (AMD).]
1. Dogs capable of producing young. A dog owner or keeper shall pay a fee of $11 to the municipal clerk or dog licensing agent for each dog 6 months of age or older and capable of producing young. A dog is considered capable of producing young unless certification under subsection 2 is provided.
The municipal clerk or dog licensing agent shall retain a $1 recording fee and pay the remaining $10 to the department for deposit in the Animal Welfare Fund.
[PL 2013, c. 115, §10 (AMD).]
Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3923-A
- Animal: means every living, sentient creature not a human being. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907
- Animal shelter: means a:
A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907Dangerous dog: means a dog or wolf hybrid that causes the death of or inflicts serious bodily injury on an individual or a domesticated animal who is not trespassing on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises at the time of the injury or death; a dog or wolf hybrid that causes a reasonable and prudent person who is not on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises and is acting in a reasonable and nonaggressive manner to fear imminent serious bodily injury by assaulting or threatening to assault that individual or individual's domesticated animal; or a dog or wolf hybrid that inflicts bodily injury on an individual or a domesticated animal who is not trespassing on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises at the time of the injury and has previously been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a nuisance dog. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Dog: means a member of the genus and species known as canis familiaris, except that in chapters 720, 721, 725, 727, 729 and 739 "dog" means a member of the genus and species known as canis familiaris or any canine, regardless of generation, resulting from the interbreeding of a member of canis familiaris with a wolf hybrid. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Dog licensing agent: means a veterinarian office or animal shelter that licenses dogs for a municipality. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases. Keeper: means a person in possession or control of a dog or other animal. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 municipal clerk: means the clerk of a municipality, the deputy clerk or assistant clerk, where directed by the clerk, carrying out the duties of this Part. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Municipality: means an organized city, town or plantation. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Nuisance dog: means a dog or wolf hybrid that causes bodily injury, other than serious bodily injury, to an individual or a domesticated animal who is not trespassing on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises at the time of the injury; a dog or wolf hybrid that causes a reasonable and prudent person who is not on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises and is acting in a reasonable and nonaggressive manner to fear bodily injury, other than serious bodily injury, by assaulting or threatening to assault that individual or individual's domesticated animal; or a dog or wolf hybrid that causes damage to property or crops not owned by the dog or wolf hybrid owner or keeper while the dog or wolf hybrid is not on the owner's or keeper's premises. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Owner: means a person owning, keeping or harboring a dog or other animal. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, association or any other legal entity. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907 Service dog: means a dog that meets the definition of "service animal" set forth in Title 5, section 4553, subsection 9?E or "assistance animal" set forth in Title 5, section 4553, subsection 1?H. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 3907
2. Dogs incapable of producing young. A dog owner shall pay a fee of $6 to the municipal clerk or a dog licensing agent for each dog 6 months of age or older and incapable of producing young. A dog is considered incapable of producing young when the owner provides the following:
A. A written certificate issued by a veterinarian stating that the veterinarian has neutered the dog; [PL 1997, c. 690, §15 (AMD).]
B. A written certificate issued by a veterinarian stating that the veterinarian has examined the dog and determined that the dog is incapable of producing young; or [PL 1997, c. 690, §15 (AMD).]
C. A previous license stating that the dog is incapable of producing young. [PL 1997, c. 690, §15 (AMD).]
The municipal clerk or dog licensing agent shall retain a $1 recording fee, deposit $2 in the municipality‘s animal welfare account established in accordance with section 3945 and pay the remaining $3 to the department for deposit in the Animal Welfare Fund.
[PL 2013, c. 115, §10 (AMD).]
3. Exemption from fees. A municipal clerk or a dog licensing agent shall issue a license upon application and without payment of a license fee required under this section for:
A. A service dog owned or kept by a person with a physical or mental disability; [PL 2007, c. 664, §12 (AMD).]
B. [PL 2007, c. 664, §12 (RP).]
C. [PL 2007, c. 664, §12 (RP).]
D. A trained search and rescue dog recognized by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or by the statewide association of search and rescue that cooperates with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in developing standards for search and rescue or such a dog awaiting training; and [PL 2001, c. 422, §9 (AMD).]
E. A dog certified by the State and used for law enforcement purposes. [PL 2001, c. 422, §9 (NEW).]
[PL 2013, c. 115, §10 (AMD).]
4. Late fees. An owner or keeper required to license a dog under section 3922, subsection 1 or section 3923?C, subsection 1 and applying for a license for that dog after January 31st shall pay to the municipal clerk, dog licensing agent or dog recorder a late fee of $25 in addition to the annual license fee paid in accordance with subsection 1 or 2 and section 3923?C, subsection 1. The clerk, dog licensing agent or dog recorder shall deposit all late fees collected under this subsection into the municipality’s animal welfare account established in accordance with section 3945.
[PL 2013, c. 115, §10 (AMD).]
5. Dogs determined to be dangerous dogs or nuisance dogs by the court. The owner or keeper of a dog determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a dangerous dog shall pay a fee of $100 to the municipal clerk or a dog licensing agent. The municipal clerk or dog licensing agent shall retain a $1 recording fee, deposit $98 in the municipality’s animal welfare account established in accordance with section 3945 and pay the remaining $1 to the department for deposit in the Animal Welfare Fund.
The owner or keeper of a dog determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a nuisance dog shall pay a fee of $30 to the municipal clerk or a dog licensing agent. The municipal clerk or dog licensing agent shall retain a $1 recording fee, deposit $28 in the municipality’s animal welfare account established in accordance with section 3945 and pay the remaining $1 to the department for deposit in the Animal Welfare Fund.
A dog determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a dangerous dog or a nuisance dog does not qualify for the exemptions from fees under subsection 3.
An owner or keeper of a dog determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a dangerous dog applying for a license for that dog after January 31st shall pay to the municipal clerk, dog licensing agent or dog recorder a late fee of $150 in addition to the annual license fee paid in accordance with this subsection.
An owner or keeper of a dog determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a nuisance dog applying for a license for that dog after January 31st shall pay to the municipal clerk, dog licensing agent or dog recorder a late fee of $70 in addition to the annual license fee paid in accordance with this subsection.
The clerk, dog licensing agent or dog recorder shall deposit all late fees collected under this subsection into the municipality’s animal welfare account established in accordance with section 3945.
[PL 2017, c. 404, §6 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1993, c. 468, §12 (NEW). PL 1993, c. 657, §§22-24 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 409, §5 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 557, §1 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 690, §15 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 597, §1 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 422, §§8,9 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 405, §13 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 439, §15 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 664, §12 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 343, §13 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 548, §3 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 115, §10 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 404, §6 (AMD).