Raise Pennsylvania Dog License Fees, Auditor General Recommends

HARRISBURG, PA - Pennsylvania should increase dog licensing fees and take other measures to ensure the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement doesn't run out of money this year, a report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale's office recommends.

Financial constraints have forced the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement do downsize from 53 dog wardens in 2014 to 41 today. Dog wardens do not enforce animal cruelty laws, but are responsible for inspecting the approximately 2,600 kennels operating across Pennsylvania at least twice annually.

"A lack of funding has forced the bureau to cut its staff by 18 percent since 2014," DePasquale said in a statement. "That means dog wardens are stretched pretty thin."

DePasquale said that part of the problem is that annual dog license fees, which make up nearly 90 percent of the bureau’s revenues, have remained constant since 1996; currently it's $6.50 if the canine is spayed or neutered, $8.50 if not. If license fees were tied to the rate of inflation they would roughly be $11 and $14 today.

Some other jurisdictions have fees of $20 or more, DePasquale said.

Without the General Assembly taking action, DePasquale said the agency could be insolvent by July. He recommends:

• Updating the dog license and kennel license fee structure, taking into account the rate of inflation since 1996.
• Allow the bureau to keep all of the money generated through fines and penalties paid through dog law citations. State law currently forces the agency to transfer most of the fines and penalties it collects to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts to fund the office's computer system.
• Strengthen penalties for kennels with serious violations that do not pass inspections and yet continue to operate during the appeal process.

Read the entire report here.