ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County has passed a new ordinance requiring pet owners to register their furry friends starting in May of 2024.
It requires cat and dog owners to pay $50 if their pet is vaccinated but isn't spayed or neutered. But that fee drops to just $1 a year if the pet has been fixed.
There are a few exceptions.
The fee gets waived altogether for pets that were taken from a rescue organization that are spayed and neutered. Residents over 65 also don't pay anything if their pet is vaccinated.
This annual fee is required for Orangeburg County residents that live outside of city limits.
Orangeburg County Animal Control Shelter Manager Jasmine Quarles says the county is still having issues with unclaimed animals.
"Even though we are rural, we are having a lot of issues with people not claiming their animals," said Quarles.
Quarles said the new ordinance was necessary for animal control officers to help reinforce the laws.
"I think it's necessary because, for a lot of the things that we're dealing with on the animal side of law enforcement. There's not a lot of things that are on the books or in ink that we can enforce," Quarles said. "So we're trying to put as much things as we can into writing so that way we have more to use when we go out and have these cases for cruelty, wellness and all these kind of other situations that we're dealing with."
The county anticipates that their online portal for pet owners to register their animals will be available by next year May.
Pet owners that violate this requirement will face a ticket of $250 or 30 days of in jail.