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Wenham dog license: fee, deadline and where to get it

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Wenham dog license: fee, deadline and where to get it

Wenham's renewal comes early in the year: registration information goes out with the census at the turn of the year, and the license is due by the end of January. Here are the office, the paperwork and the fees, what the town code says about lateness, and where the license fits at Dogtown.

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Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · rules checked for fall 2026

Where to apply

Register with the Wenham Town Clerk online, at 138 Main Street, by drop box or by mail

The Town Clerk at Wenham Town Hall, 138 Main Street, registers every dog in town. Online, the town's payment center takes a credit card or e-check at any hour, and the clerk mails the license to you. Otherwise, use the Dog Registration Application by mail, in person or through the drop box at the Town Clerk's office, paying by cash or check only, with checks made payable to the Town of Wenham. Mail goes to Wenham Town Clerk, 138 Main St, Wenham, MA 01984.

Plan a counter visit around Town Hall's hours, which the Town Clerk's page lists as 8 AM to 4:30 PM on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 8 AM to 7 PM on Tuesday, with the building closed on Fridays. Tuesday evening is the useful slot for owners who work days. The clerk answers dog questions at 978-468-5520, extension 1, or by email at townclerk@wenhamma.gov, which is quicker than a wasted trip if you are unsure what to bring.

Online: the payment center, by card or e-check; the license is mailed
At Town Hall or the drop box: cash or a check to the Town of Wenham
By mail: Wenham Town Clerk, 138 Main St, Wenham, MA 01984
Town Hall is closed on Fridays

What you need

Proof of rabies vaccination goes with every Wenham registration

State law and the Wenham bylaw both require every dog over six months old to be vaccinated against rabies and registered each year, and the 2026 form asks for proof of the vaccination whichever way you register. The form also asks for each dog's name, breed, color, sex, neuter status and rabies expiration date, so keep the vet's certificate beside you as you write. One form holds three dogs; four or more dogs need a kennel license under state law, and the form asks you to contact the clerk.

Residents over 70 pay no fee, but the form still asks them for the owner's date of birth and the dog's rabies certificate, so the free license is not a paperwork-free one. For everyone else, neuter status sets the fee: Massachusetts requires the license for an altered dog to cost less than for an intact one, and Wenham's is $5 lower. The town's page does not ask for separate spay or neuter proof; if you are claiming the lower fee for the first time, ask the clerk what to include.

Proof of current rabies vaccination for each dog
The rabies expiration date written on the form
The owner's date of birth for the over-70 exemption
A kennel license instead for four or more dogs

Dates and fees

Wenham licenses were due January 31, 2026 and expire December 31

Under the Wenham bylaw the annual dog license is valid from January through December, and the town mails registration information to every household with the annual census at the end of December or in early January. The 2026 form set the due date at January 31, 2026, and every 2026 license expires on December 31, 2026. Expect the 2027 paperwork in the same census envelope around New Year, and check the new form for its due date when it arrives.

The fees on the 2026 form are $15 for a neutered dog and $20 for an intact dog, with no charge for residents over 70, matching section 100-3 of the town code. There is no late fee to add: the code's late-charge section, 100-4, was repealed at the April 2022 town meeting, effective January 1, 2023. Registering late still breaks the licensing bylaw, and Chapter 100 sets noncriminal fines that start with a written warning, so register as soon as you can.

Wenham 2026 item	As the town published it
Neutered dog	$15
Intact dog	$20
Resident over 70	No charge, with the owner's date of birth
Due date	January 31, 2026
Expiry	December 31, 2026
Late fee	None; repealed effective January 1, 2023 (town code)

Why we ask

Dogtown asks for the Wenham license before daycare, Academy, stays and walks

The free evaluation at Dogtown, held on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by appointment, is where we collect the paperwork every group dog shares: a current town license and Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records. For a Wenham dog that means the current calendar-year license. Because every Wenham license expires on December 31, a dog evaluated in the autumn will need its renewal soon after, and we will ask for the new license once the town issues it.

The reason is simple. A license is granted only against proof of rabies vaccination, so it backs up the vaccine card, and the tag on the collar names Wenham and carries a number that leads straight to Town Hall if a dog ever goes astray. Wenham is outside the four Pup Van towns, so ask us about pick-up, or take Route 128 to its end in Gloucester and drop off inside a window.

01
Look for the dog registration notice in the census mailing around New Year
02
Check the rabies expiration date before you fill in the form
03
Register online, at Town Hall, by drop box or by mail before the due date
04
Keep the new license with the rabies certificate
05
Bring both, with DHPP and Bordetella records, to a free Dogtown evaluation

At Dogtown

What Wenham dogs book at Dogtown

A current license and vaccine records, checked once at the evaluation, open daycare days and overnight suites.

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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 dog license in Wenham, MA?

On the 2026 form, $15 for a neutered dog and $20 for an intact dog, with no charge for residents over 70, who give the owner's date of birth and the dog's rabies certificate instead. Fees can change from year to year, so check the form that arrives with the census or the Town Clerk's dog registration page.

When is the Wenham dog license due?

The 2026 license was due January 31, 2026, and it expires December 31, 2026, because Wenham licenses run January to December. Registration information arrives with the annual census at the end of December or in early January, so the renewal and the census tend to land on the kitchen table together.

Is there a late fee in Wenham?

No. Wenham's code once carried a late charge for dog licenses in section 100-4, but the town repealed it effective January 1, 2023, and neither the registration page nor the 2026 form adds one. A dog left unlicensed still breaks the bylaw, so register promptly; questions go to the Town Clerk at 978-468-5520, extension 1, or townclerk@wenhamma.gov.

Will Dogtown accept a Wenham license?

Yes. We ask for a current license from your own town, and Wenham's is the right one for a Wenham dog. Bring it with the Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records to the free evaluation. If the license expires on December 31 while your dog attends Dogtown, send us the renewed one in January so your file stays current.

January license, weekday evaluation.

Bring the Wenham license and your dog's vaccine records to 210 Eastern Ave for a free evaluation, and daycare, Academy days and overnight stays are open to you.

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01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
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