- Home
- Cape Ann dogs
- Beverly dog license: fee, deadline and where to get it
Beverly rules
Beverly dog license: fee, deadline and where to get it
Beverly mails its dog renewal forms with the annual census, so for most owners the license starts as an envelope that is easy to set aside. This page covers what the City Clerk asks for, the dates and penalties, how long a mailed renewal takes, and why the license matters before a Beverly dog's first day at Dogtown.
Where to apply
The City Clerk at 191 Cabot Street licenses Beverly dogs online, by mail or in person
Beverly's City Clerk's Office, inside City Hall at 191 Cabot Street, issues every dog license in the city. The city's pages describe three ways in: register online through the city's payment site, mail the form back, or license at the clerk's office in person. The Dog Licenses page gives the office's hours as 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday to Wednesday, 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM on Thursday and 8:30 AM to 1 PM on Friday, so Thursday evening is the slot for anyone who works days.
Renewal forms arrive with the city's annual street list mailing, the census, so watch for that envelope early in the year. To renew by mail, send the completed form, the fee by check payable to the City of Beverly, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the City Clerk's Office, Dog License, 191 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915. The license comes back in your envelope. The registration form dated January 2026 asks owners to allow four to six weeks, because spring brings a flood of registrations.
- 01
Find the dog renewal form in the census mailing
- 02
Check that your dog's rabies certificate is still current
- 03
Write a check payable to the City of Beverly for $20 or $25
- 04
Add a copy of the rabies record if it is a new dog or anything changed, plus a stamped return envelope
- 05
Mail it to the City Clerk's Office, Dog License, 191 Cabot Street, by early March
What you need
Send the form, the fee and a copy of the rabies record whenever it has changed
The city's Dog Licenses page asks for a copy of the dog's rabies certificate with a mailed application, and the January 2026 form narrows that to a new dog or anything that has changed since last year, such as a new rabies booster. If you are unsure, include the copy; it costs nothing to send. Behind it sits the state rule: no Massachusetts licensing authority may grant a dog license without a veterinarian's certification of rabies vaccination.
Spay or neuter status sets the fee. Beverly charges $5 more for an intact dog, in line with state law, which requires the fee for a spayed or neutered dog to be lower than the fee for an intact one. Neither the Dog Licenses page nor the January 2026 form lists separate proof of the surgery, so ask the clerk whether your vet's record should go in the envelope the first time you claim the lower fee. Massachusetts licenses service animals without a fee.
- The completed Beverly dog registration form
- The fee: $20 spayed or neutered, $25 intact
- A copy of the rabies record for a new dog or a new booster
- A self-addressed stamped envelope if you renew by mail
Dates and penalties
Due April 1, and a missed year costs $50 plus $20 for each year
Beverly's licensing period runs April 1 through March 31, and Chapter 117, Section 4 of the city ordinance requires every dog six months or older to be licensed by April 1. Renew in March and the new license takes over the day the old one ends. With four to six weeks of processing for mailed forms, a renewal posted in late March may not come back until well into April; the online route or a counter visit is quicker if you are cutting it close.
Skipping a year is expensive. The city charges a $50 failure-to-license fee for any dog that was not registered in the previous year, plus a $20 late fee for each year missed, and every outstanding amount must be paid before the current year's license is issued. The form says the clerk's office will contact you about anything owed before it processes the new license. Two lapsed years therefore cost far more than two ordinary renewals would have.
| Beverly charge | Amount at the time of writing |
|---|---|
| License, spayed or neutered dog | $20 a year |
| License, intact dog | $25 a year |
| Failure-to-license fee, dog not registered the previous year | $50 |
| Late fee, for each year missed | $20 |
| Service animal | No fee under state law |
Why we ask
Dogtown checks the Beverly license and vaccines at the free evaluation
Before a Beverly dog joins daycare, Dogtown Academy, an overnight stay or an at-home walk, it comes to 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester for a free evaluation: a temperament test, then a few supervised hours with a group. Our front desk checks four things that morning: the current city license and the Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records. Evaluations happen on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by appointment, and from Beverly the drive is Route 128 north to its end.
The license tells us something the vaccine card alone does not. It shows that City Hall has seen a current rabies certificate, and it means your dog wears a tag with a Beverly number on it, so anyone who finds a loose dog can trace it through the clerk. If your evaluation is close to the April 1 renewal, use the online route or the counter rather than the mail, so the new license is in hand on the morning you arrive.
- Evaluation: free, weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, by appointment
- Paperwork: the Beverly license plus Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records
- Beverly is outside the Pup Van towns; ask us about pick-up
- Grooming books without an evaluation
At Dogtown
Where a Beverly license leads at Dogtown
A licensed, vaccinated dog can start daycare or Dogtown Academy after a single free evaluation.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How much is a Beverly dog license?
When is the Beverly dog license due?
Where is the City Clerk's Office in Beverly?
My dog just moved to Beverly. Does it need a Beverly license?
Does the Pup Van come to Beverly?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- City of Beverly: Dog Licenses
- City of Beverly: Dog Registration Form
- City of Beverly Animal Control: Permits and Licenses
- Massachusetts General Laws c. 140, s. 139: license fees
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Census form returned, Beverly tag on the collar.
Bring the Beverly license and your dog's vaccine records to a free weekday-morning evaluation at 210 Eastern Ave, and daycare, Academy days and overnight stays open up.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
