When did the requirement for dog licenses start?

New York State adopted the first dog license law on March 8, 1894 in New York City.

In reviewing early assessment records in the Town of Henrietta, the earliest record of an annual dog tax is in 1864, the cost of which was $0.50. In 1895 a resolution was adopted increasing the the "dog tax" to $1.00 because "the tax on dogs is not sufficient to pay the damages done by dogs."

Effective January 1, 2011, New York State changed the process for licensing dogs. Whereas previously, the dog licensing process was handled by New York State, it was changed to make each local municipality responsible for dog licensing.