Mission Viejo Animal Services (MVAS) staff conduct canvassing throughout the year to ensure that dogs over four months old are licensed and have a current rabies vaccination.
Door to door licensing (canvassing) is responsible for ensuring that dogs over four months old are licensed and have a current rabies vaccination. This applies to all dogs living in the jurisdiction of Mission Viejo Animal Services (MVAS), Rancho Santa Margarita's animal services provider since January 1, 2017.
Mission Viejo Animal Services Center officers provide personal door-to-door service by:
- Canvassing contract cities throughout the year.
- Issuing dog licenses and updating licensing records.
- Providing general information about the services provided by Mission Viejo Animal Services Center.
- Providing information to the public about the benefits of licensing their pets, state and local mandates, and how pet licensing is a form of identification that helps reunite pets with their families.
Your pet's license is proof of its valid rabies vaccination, as well as its best chance to get safely home if it is lost.
If you have any licensing questions, call (949) 470-3045 or e-mail petlicensing@cityofmissionviejo.org.
Purchase a License
To purchase a license, you must provide proof of your pet's current rabies vaccination. If your pet has been spayed or neutered, you may license it at a reduced rate by providing proof of alteration. Pet owners over the age of 55 may license their pets at a reduced rate by providing proof of their age.
To purchase a new license print out and complete the license application, and mail in the required documents.
Online Pet Licensing
IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A CITATION, DO NOT PAY ONLINE. PLEASE CALL (949) 470-3045.
Pet Licensing Fees
Canine Rabies Vaccination Exemption Requests
California Health and Safety Code 121690 states in part that an exemption may be granted for the rabies vaccine on an annual basis if "a rabies vaccination would endanger the dog's life." The law also requires the condition warranting the exemption be verified and documented by a veterinarian. To apply for a rabies vaccination exemption, please complete the following legally required forms below, accompanied by no more than 5 pages of medical records that indicate a rabies vaccine would endanger the life of the dog. Return forms and application fee to Mission Viejo Animal Services Center by mail. Completed forms and records will be forwarded to OC Animal Care for review.
1. See the Rabies Exemption Form and Rabies Exemption Details for more details.
2. All requests must be accompanied by no more than 5 pages of medical records. Written letters from veterinarians will not be accepted in lieu of records.
Only requests that include all required documents will be forwarded to OC Animal Care for review. If approved, exemptions are valid for one year only. If the animal is unable to be immunized the following year, a new exemption request must be submitted.
A $65.00 non-refundable fee applies to all requests received by OC Animal Care. Payment should be remitted along with forms and supporting documentation. Make check payable to OC Animal Care. Rabies exemption requests that are received without the application fee (as well as incomplete requests) will not be processed. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the established criteria for exemption carefully as the fee is non-refundable.