Pets in Madison: licenses, dog parks and the rules

License your dog or cat

All City of Madison residents with a dog or cat that is 5 months or older must license it with the city. Licenses run for the calendar year, January 1 to December 31.

• $25 for a spayed or neutered dog or cat, $36 if not.
• A lower puppy and kitten license is sold from July 1 to November 15: $17.50 spayed or neutered, $26 if not.
• A $5 late fee applies to licenses bought on or after April 1, once your pet is over 5 months old and you've had it, and lived in Madison, for more than 30 days.

You'll need the application, proof of a current rabies vaccination, proof of spaying or neutering if it applies, and the fee. Buy online through the city's licenses and permits portal (with digital copies of your documents), by mail to the City Treasurer, P.O. Box 20, Madison, WI 53701-0020 (with a stamped return envelope), or in person at the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 101, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Other communities set their own licensing rules, so check with your city or village if you live outside Madison.

Rabies shots

Wisconsin law requires every dog to be vaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian no later than 5 months of age, and again before the vaccination expires. A dog you get after it's 5 months old has to be vaccinated within 30 days. The rabies tag goes on the dog's collar.

Dogs in city parks

Leashed, licensed dogs are welcome in most Madison parks, but every dog needs a daily or annual Dog Permit, whether it's on a leash in a general park or running in one of the city's 9 fenced off-leash dog parks. Dogs must be leashed and under control everywhere outside the off-leash areas, and owners must pick up after them.

Permits for 2027 go on sale November 1: $55 for an annual permit for Dane County residents ($96 for non-residents) and $13 for a daily permit, with reduced prices for seniors 65 and older, people with disabilities, military and veterans. A permit is good from purchase through the end of the year, and annual permits arrive by mail within 10 business days. Visiting dogs need a daily permit plus a license or proof of vaccination from home.

Dogs aren't allowed in conservation parks, in shelters and park buildings, on playgrounds and splash pads, on golf courses during the golf season, on groomed ski trails, at Olbrich Gardens or Goodman Pool, within 20 feet of burial mounds, on fenced or in-use sports fields, or in the water or on the beach at designated beaches. Fines can reach $500. The park ranger line is 608-235-0448.

Dane County parks and nearby cities

Dogs are welcome at all Dane County parks with a daily or annual county dog permit, and the county runs several off-leash dog parks, including Prairie Moraine, Token Creek, Capital Springs and Badger Prairie. County permits for 2027 cost the same as the city's: $55 a year for county residents, $96 for non-residents, $13 a day, and $25 for each additional dog.

The city's Dog Permit is also honored at designated locations in Dane County parks, Middleton and Sun Prairie. Check the posted rules at each park.

The Dane County Farmers' Market doesn't allow animals, other than service animals, on the Square during the Saturday market.

Lost and found pets

If you find a stray, keep it contained if you safely can and call Animal Services through the police non-emergency line at (608) 255-2345. If the owner can't be found, the animal goes to the Dane County Humane Society, (608) 838-0413.

If your pet is missing, call the Humane Society and post it on 24Petconnect, which Public Health Madison & Dane County recommends. A current license tag and a microchip are the fastest way home.