The City of River Falls requires that all dogs 5 months of age or older be licensed. The license year is from January 1 through December 31. In order to process a dog license, a current rabies vaccination certificate is required. License fees are $5.00 for spayed or neutered dogs, $10.00 for intact dogs. There is a $5.00 late fee for licenses issued after March 31^st, unless you have owned your pet for less than 30 days.

Licenses are issued at City Hall during the regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. If processing a license through the mail is more convenient, please include the rabies certificate and appropriate fee and send to: Dog License, City of River Falls, 123 East Elm Street, River Falls, WI 54022. The license and rabies certificate will be returned to you by mail.

If you have any questions about dog licenses, please contact the Finance Department at 425-0900.

City code 12.04(6) prohibits dogs and cats from running at large within the City limits. A dog, cat or other domestic animal shall be considered to be running at large if it is off the premises of its owner and not under the control of the owner or some other person.

All dogs shall be kept on a leash no longer than 8' at all times when off the premises of their owner and no dogs are permitted in a public cemetery except when confined within a vehicle.

The owner of an animal shall promptly remove and dispose of in a sanitary manner any excreta deposited by such animal upon any public or private property. Violations of these municipal ordinances are subject to citations and a fine of $59.60 per violation.

To report a dog running at large, please obtain as much information as possible about the animal, vehicle including license number if possible, persons with the animal, owner's name if available, and contact the River Falls Police Department at 425-0909.

The City contracts for animal control services with Humane Society of Goodhue County (Red Wing, Minnesota) 1-651-388-5286. To report or claim a missing dog, call the Police Department at 425-0909.