I Received a Collection Notice- What Can I Do?

If you received a collection notice, learn why it was issued, and ways you can resolve it. For more information about your case, please call ACT at 1-888-830-7770.

Why Did I Receive a Collection Notice?

Licensing dogs and cats is required by ordinance § 13.101 of the Multnomah County Code.

Multnomah County Animal Services issues annual license renewal reminders by mail, and pet owners are required to renew their license, or notify MCAS if any of the following circumstances apply:

• You rehomed your licensed pet.
• You moved out of Multnomah County.
• Your licensed pet is deceased.

Pet owners who do not respond to license renewal notices may be issued a Class C Notice of Infraction (NOI) for failure to pay required license fees for their animals. These Infractions act as ‘fix-it’ tickets and the associated fine is waived if the licensing is resolved within 30 days of the NOI being issued.

Unresolved citations result in the fine being enforced. If the fine is not paid, an unpaid NOI may be sent to a collection agency, per Multnomah County Code §13.999(F).

Unpaid accounts are sent to collections due to failure of the owner to notify MCAS of circumstances where licenses do not need to be renewed (no longer own, pet deceased), or to pay fines associated with a NOI.

How Can I Resolve a Collection Notice?

If you received a collection notice from ACT, you must contact ACT directly to resolve your account in collection. Please call 1-888-830-7770.

For questions about your notice, or for details of why it was issued, please provide representatives with the account number on your notice.

If you believe you were issued a Notice of Infraction in error for unpaid license fees, you may dispute the collection by calling ACT, and providing the reason why you believe you received a collection notice in error. After the dispute is received, ACT will work with MCAS to resolve the account.