Cities sign on to new pet laws

More than two dozen area cities have signed contracts with King County to participate in a new regional animal-services model that took effect Thursday.

The cost for pet licenses for spayed animals will remain and for unaltered pets will be reduced to $60. Fines for unlicensed pets are $125 for a spayed and $250 for an unaltered pet, officials said.

All dogs and cats older than 8 weeks in unincorporated King County and the contracting cities must be licensed.

Residents have until Oct. 1 to buy a license for unlicensed pets without facing a fine, officials said. Visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/pets for information on how to get a license.

All of the cities have contracts for 2 ½ years, except for Bothell, which signed up for six months. The cities are Auburn, Beaux Arts, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Carnation, Clyde Hill, Covington, Duvall, Enumclaw, Issaquah, Kent, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, North Bend, Redmond, Sammamish, SeaTac, Shoreline, Snoqualmie, Tukwila, Woodinville and Yarrow Point.

Times staff