ASHFIELD — The Selectboard approved changing the dog licensing schedule this week to allow residents to license their dogs for one, two or three years.

Town Clerk Alexis Fedorjaczenko said the change would ease her workload during dog license renewal season. Instead of having to license every dog in town each year, pet owners could opt for a two- or three-year license, so renewals would not need to occur as frequently.

“It’s a benefit for me and a benefit for them,” Fedorjaczenko said.

Dog owners will still be able to opt for a one-year license, but beginning January 2026, they can also choose the extended license options.

Licenses for non-spayed or non-neutered dogs will be $10 for one year, $20 for two years and $30 for three years. Licenses for spayed or neutered dogs will be $5 for one year, $10 for two years and $15 for three years. Kennel licenses will still only be offered for one-year intervals and will only be available to households with five or more dogs, as Massachusetts General Law no longer permits kennel licenses to be issued to households with four or fewer dogs.

Fedorjaczenko told the board she would like to amend the town’s dog bylaw to reflect the changes to the schedule and rephrase confusing language, but in the meantime, the Selectboard is authorized to make the change. Section 1.4 of the bylaw states, “The Selectboard as deemed necessary will approve any future changes to the fee structure of the dog licensing program.”

Fedorjaczenko hopes to update the bylaws the next time a Special or Annual Town Meeting is held.

“I would love to clean up the dog bylaw a little bit, but what I realized last week is that it’s really the fee schedule that needs to be adjusted,” she said. “The bylaw gives the Selectboard the ability to change the fee schedule. To be efficient and get to an efficient dog licensing program, you could do a new fee schedule to allow for multi-year licensing, and I can start working on the other pieces.”

The Selectboard also approved amending the late fee policy to add a per-household option for families with multiple dogs. Effective immediately, any dog owner who has not licensed their dog by the June 1 deadline will be assessed a late fee of $35 per dog or $50 per household.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.