Pet Permits & Renewals
Permit Fees
Private Puppy & Kitten Sales
Puppies or kittens may be sold privately in the city of Albuquerque only if the owner has an Intact Animal Permit which costs $150 and a Companion Animal Litter Permit ($150). The Animal Litter permit must be bought no later than 1 week after the litter is born and is only good for six months.
Otherwise, it is illegal to sell puppies or kittens within the city limits. Ordinance 9-2-4-4 says "no person shall display, sell, give away, barter or auction or otherwise dispose on residential, commercial or public property without a litter permit." Pet Stores in Albuquerque may only sell small animals like rats, mice, snakes, turtles, etc.
For more information about puppy and kitten sales, see the Heart Ordinance FAQ.
Permits
| Permit | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Intact Companion Animal Permit (ICAP) | Annual permitting for a dog or cat over the age of six months that has not been neutered or spayed. | $150 per per animal per year |
| Litter permit | Permit, good for six months from date of issue, that must be obtained within one week after the birth of the litter. A Household is limited to no more than four Litter Permits in any consecutive 12 month period and no more than one Litter Permit per female Companion Animal in any consecutive 12 month period. | $150 per litter |
| Multiple Companion Animal Site Permit (MCASP) | Annual permitting for any person intending to exceed the maximum limit of six Companion Animals, no more than four of which are dogs, in a Household. | $50 per site per year |
| Exotic or Wild Animal Collection Permit (EWACP) | Annual permitting for any person who wishes to receive, purchase, own or keep 15 or more Permissible Exotic or Wild Animals shall first obtain an Exotic or Wild Animal Collection Permit. | $50 per person per year |
| Guard Dog Site Permit (GDSP) | Annual permitting for an establishment that utilizes a Guard Dog . Requires application process with officer approval. | $150 per site per year |
| Guard Dog Sign | $6 each plus tax | |
| Animal Service Provider Permit (ASPP) | Annual permitting for an establishment that takes temporary possession of an Animal from the Owner, not on the Owner's property, to perform a service for the Animal of Owner, including, but not limited to, Grooming Parlors, Animal Day Care establishments and Boarding Kennels, but excluding Pet Stores. Animal Service Provider does not include a licensed Veterinarian. | $75 per site per year |
| Pet Store Permit (PSP) | Annual permitting for an establishment that, in whole or in part, offers Animals, other than Companion Animals, for sale or resale, or sells Animals to consumers or wholesalers. | $100 per site per year |
| Trolley Permit | A one time permit, good for one year, issued by the City authorizing the use of a Trolley. In order to obtain a Trolley Permit, the applicant must prove that all other means of restricting the Animal to the personal property have been exhausted. Requires application process with officer approval. | $50 per animal |
| Animal-Drawn Vehicle Permit (ADVP) | Annual permitting allowing a Person to attach an Animal to a vehicle for the purpose of moving the vehicle. | $150 per animal per year |
Stray Cats
Feral Cats: More Information
For more information about feral cats, you can contact:
- New Mexico Animal Friends, 505-881-7297
- Animal Humane, 505-255-5523, ext. 105
There are stray cats in my neighborhood. What should I do?
We appreciate your concern about neighborhood cats. Unfortunately, cat overpopulation is not a problem that can be solved through adoptions at city animal shelters. There just aren't enough people coming to the shelters looking for cats to take home.
Sadly, most cats housed at city animal shelters are euthanized. The lack of sufficient homes for cats is a nationwide problem. If you find a tame cat and want to help it, the best way is to foster the cat until you find a home for it yourself.
You should notify the Animal Welfare Department and register as a finder of the animal. If you surrender the cat to a city animal shelter, it probably will not survive.
Frequently, what seems to be a stray cat is an owned cat which has been allowed by its owner to roam. An owned cat typically will return to its home if you leave it alone, and it can be very difficult to find the owner if you try to intervene by removing it from its roaming area. You can attempt to reunite the cat with its owner by having the animal scanned for a microchip. City animal shelters and some local veterinarians will do this for free and if a cat is microchipped, the owner's last known address will be on record with the company that created the microchip. There is, however, a very low rate of success in finding the owners of cats surrendered to, or picked up by, the Animal Welfare Department, partly because many cats aren't microchipped. Last year, only about 1 in 27 cats was reunited with its owner after arriving at a city shelter.
The Animal Welfare Department works hard to help control the pet population through spay and neuter programs. If there are feral cats in your neighborhood, or if someone (including you) is feeding stray cats, there are charitable groups in Albuquerque that can help get the cats sterilized so they don't reproduce. The cats then continue living outdoors. These groups are well versed in where to get traps, how to use them, where to take the cats for sterilization and what to do afterwards.
The Animal Welfare Department does not have cat traps for rent, and it will not come to your neighborhood to pick up cats unless they have bitten a person or are injured.
Feeding stray cats is very common, but attempting to eradicate the cats through poisoning or other means is a crime that will be prosecuted.
Feral Cats: Traps
The Animal Welfare Department does not have cat traps for rent.
Animal Humane New Mexico does rent out cat traps, but only if you are participating in its "Catch and Release-Spay/Neuter Program" for feral cats. For more information, call 505-255-5523 ext. 105.
Traps can also be purchased from retailers or over the Internet, but the department makes no recommendations that would favor a particular vendor.
There are local charitable groups that sponsor programs to help control the population of feral cats. The cats are sterilized so they won't reproduce, then they continue living outdoors. These groups are well versed on where to get traps, how to use them, where to take the cats for sterilization, and what to do afterwards.
For more information on feral cats, you can contact:
- New Mexico Animal Friends, 505-881-7297
- Animal Humane Clinic, 505-255-5523 Ext. 105
Skunks, Squirrels & Wild Dogs
Animal Welfare no longer rents out traps for animals such as skunks and squirrels and wild dogs.