Forest Acres residents soon will have to register pets or face hundreds in fines, jail time

Cat and dog owners in Forest Acres soon will have to register their pets with Richland County or face possible penalties of hundreds of dollars or even jail time. The city joins several others in the area requiring pets to be registered.

Forest Acres City Council partnered with Richland County in June to adopt the county’s pet registration policy, which requires all cats and dogs over 4 months old to be registered with the county, city spokesperson Lynssey Baker said.

Registering a spayed or neutered pet will cost $4.21 per pet, and fertile animals will cost $21.07 each, according to the Richland County Animal Services department website. Registration will have to be renewed each year, with a grace period until the end of the renewal month.

The lower fee also applies to animals that cannot be fixed for documented health, hunting or competition reasons. Owners of service animals will need to register their animals but do not have to pay a fee. Licensed breeding animals are exempt from the policy.

The lower fee for spayed and neutered pets is used as an encouragement for owners to have them fixed, said Sandra Haynes, director of Richland County Animal Services. Richland County also offers vouchers to help offset some of the costs associated with spaying or neutering their pets, she said.

Pets can be registered on the Richland County Animal Services department website.

A rabies vaccination record is required for all registered pets. Identifying numbers tattooed on the animal can be registered along with tag numbers.

Not properly licensing your pet could add up to as much as $1,087.50 in county and state fines and/or up to 30 days imprisonment for each unlicensed pet, Haynes said.

Richland County Animal Services officers will enforce the policy in Forest Acres, Haynes said. If an unlicensed pet is found, the resident will be educated on the importance of licensing their pet and given a written warning and “ample time to license their pet,” she said. Fines can be issued, but animals are not taken from owners for being unlicensed.

“Most citizens only realize it is a requirement once they are notified that they are in violation of the Richland County ordinance,” she said. “At that time, most citizens will license their pets.”

Before the policy goes into effect in Forest Acres, the city council will have to create the city’s own law reflecting the county’s policy, Baker said. The law will have to be read at the council’s July and August meetings before being approved. Residents will then have a window of time to comply, possibly 30 to 60 days, she said.

“In the meantime we are focused on spreading the word through our various communications channels (social, our website, local news) and want to implore people to start today,” Baker said. “You don’t have to wait for the official ordinance proceedings.”

Having pets registered helps lost animals be returned to their owners more quickly, as well as ensure animals are vaccinated for rabies, according to the county’s website.

Forest Acres partnered with Richland County to enforce the policy to save on the costs of building an animal control facility, buying vehicles and employing at least two animal care officers full-time, Baker said in a statement on the city’s website.

Richland County also provides animal control services to the towns of Irmo, Blythewood, Eastover and Arcadia Lakes, which also require pets to be licensed, Baker said in the statement.

Richland County’s registration policy has been in place since 1990, Haynes said.

The city of Columbia also requires pets to be registered, according to the city’s website. Pets within city limits that have not been spayed or neutered cost $25 to register, or $5 if they have been fixed. The lower fee also applies to show dogs and animals that cannot be fixed for health reasons. Service animals are free. Licenses with the city must be renewed annually.

Encouraging owners to have their pets fixed reduces the amount of taxpayer money used on animal control and the number of animals being euthanized by the city, according to Columbia’s website.

Similarly to the Richland County policy, pets must be vaccinated for rabies to be registered with Columbia. Failure to register a pet carries a maximum fine of $200 or 30 days in jail, according to the city’s website.

Richland County does not enforce Columbia’s policy, but the two entities do collaborate on the redemption of animals in the city’s shelters, Haynes said.

Lexington County does not require pets to be registered with the county, but dogs are required to have a collar or microchip. The cities of Lexington and West Columbia also don’t require pets to be registered but do require pets to be vaccinated for rabies.

Cayce requires animals that are considered dangerous or nuisance animals to be registered with the city’s police department.

Cities within Richland County might have their own additional restrictions, such as the number or types of animals allowed, but the county’s animal services officers cannot enforce those, Haynes said.

“We understand that ‘cities’ have to consider what laws/ordinances will best fit the needs of their citizens, and the county has to consider laws/ordinances on a larger scale,” she said. “Citizens should educate themselves on any laws or ordinances concerning the area in which they live.”