Last year the City of Olivette issued about 80 pet tags to about 60 residents. This year, 52 households paid to get a keypad code for one fenced yard on Old Bonhomme Road.
Those two numbers are close, and they are headed in opposite directions. The citywide license has shrunk to a small group of holders, while membership at the dog park at Irv Zeid Citizen's Park is now more than double what it averaged before the 2023 rebuild. This fall the city is dealing with both at once. Bill #3076 would remove the license requirement from the city code. Over the same weeks, the Parks & Recreation Commission is giving the park's own rules their first substantial review since 2012. Once both changes land, the park membership will be the main local record of which dogs are registered, vaccinated and answerable to a set of rules.
A $3 tag that most dogs never wore
The license is still in the city code. Olivette's Chapter 210 calls for an annual license for every dog or cat, proof of rabies vaccination, and a numbered metal tag on the animal. Applications are due by January 1, and the fee is $3 for a spayed or neutered animal and $10 for an intact animal over five months. The city's animal registration form still lists those base fees.
In practice, few owners took part. Parks and Recreation Director Beverly Tucker Knight laid out the reasons in a September 16, 2026 report to the Parks & Recreation Commission:
"Compliance with Olivette specific licensing has declined dramatically over the years to a bare minimum. However, the County rabies mandate has a much higher compliance rate. There are no significate benefits to the Olivette licensing program and the City has not had an Animal Control Officer position since 2017."
City Manager Jennifer Yackley made the same case to the City Council in an October 6 memo. Since the city's animal enforcement employee retired in 2017, that work has gone to St. Louis County or to private businesses. When an unvaccinated dog is involved in an incident, St. Louis County Animal Control issues any citation or quarantine and handles the follow-up. The memo describes "very low compliance and very little benefit to the City."
Police Chief Beth Andreski presented Bill #3076 for first reading on October 13. The bill repeals Chapter 210 and enacts a new chapter in its place. She told the council the license brings in little money and that the change would not alter the dog park requirements. The bill was placed on the October 27 council agenda for second reading, together with a summary, the proposed new chapter and the existing one.
Under the proposed chapter, owners would still need to vaccinate their dogs against rabies, as St. Louis County already requires. Veterinarians in the county issue county rabies tags to their clients, and Knight's report says those tags are the most common way vaccination gets verified.
The fenced yard that outgrew its 2012 rules
Membership at the dog park went the other way. The park first opened in 2012 along the northern boundary of Irv Zeid Park. In 2023 it was rebuilt at the front of the park, with full fencing, a fountain for dogs and people, seating, logs and mounds under mature shade trees, and a two-stage entrance designed to keep dogs from slipping out. The rebuild was part of a 2022 contract with Hankins Construction Co. for work at four city parks.
| Period | What happened | Registered households |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 to 2022 | Original dog park on the park's northern edge; rules set in 2012, minor revisions in 2017 | About 20 a year on average |
| July 2023 | Volunteers removed the plastic mesh on June 22, and the rebuilt park opened July 3 | 37 users registered at opening |
| 2025 | Third season on the new layout | 39 |
| 2026 | Rules review begins in October | 52 |
The count rose by a third in a single year. Last year about 60 residents held a city pet license, and this year 52 households are dog park members. For a growing share of Olivette dog owners, the park is now the one place where a dog's paperwork actually gets checked.
The checking happens at the gate. A keypad code limits entry to members, and the city changes it every January. Each dog gets a numbered collar tag good for the calendar year. Resident households pay $20 a year. Nonresidents pay $40 per dog per year, plus $20 for each additional dog.
The rule that cites a license on its way out
The second of the park's 19 posted regulations reads: "Dogs must have a registered current Olivette Dog License and have up-to-date rabies vaccinations." If Bill #3076 removes that license from the code, this rule will point to a document that no longer exists.
Knight's September report says the repeal will not affect how the park operates, because the county rabies tag already does the verifying. It also says the Commission would update the dog park's policies this fall so the new rules can go out with the city's announcement about licensing.
Growth has also brought a problem the posted rules were never written for. Knight's October 21 report to the Commission says the department has started receiving behavior complaints as more people use the park. The current policy leaves owners to police their own dogs. Members have no way to report trouble with another dog, and dogs that can't follow the behavior guidelines face no consequences. The report also says many dog parks and boarding facilities have tightened their vaccination requirements since 2012.
The current rules already cover some behavior. A dog must be leashed and taken out of the park at the first sign of aggression, and aggressive, ill or injured dogs are not allowed inside the fence. Owners who break the rules may be asked to leave and may lose their use of the park. The rules give members no way to report a problem dog, though, and they set out nothing for a dog that keeps failing the behavior guidelines.
What the Commission asked for
The October 21 report sets out five actions for the Commission:
- Form a working group.
- Review best operational practices from other communities and national guidance.
- Recommend revisions to the vaccination requirements.
- Review the city's animal code provisions on aggressive dogs.
- Create a complaint process and consequences for behavior issues.
The posted rules dated 2017 are still in effect, and members follow them day to day. Under those rules, the park is open dawn to dusk. Dogs stay leashed until they are inside the fence, owners carry a leash and supervise closely, and gates stay closed except when someone is entering or leaving. Owners remove halters, harnesses and pinch, spike or choke collars as soon as they are inside. Children 12 and under may not enter the fenced area, and anyone 13 to 17 needs an adult with them. Food, treats, rawhide, glass and alcohol are not allowed.
The city publishes these rules and the membership application on its dog park page. This post reports what those city documents say, as general information and not legal advice. If you have a question about how a rule applies to your own dog, ask the Parks & Recreation office or your veterinarian.
The calendar between now and the January reset
The staff schedule in the October 21 report runs from mid-November into the new year. These are the dates still ahead:
- November 18, 2026. The working group's final report goes to the Parks & Recreation Commission for approval. The Commission meets at Five Oaks on Warson, 1200 N. Warson Road.
- November 24, 2026. Staff update the City Council on the new policy at its regular meeting.
- December 2026. The Olivette Life newsletter runs an article on the dog park changes alongside a police department article on licensing, and the department emails the new requirements to every current member household. Knight's September report says the same issue will carry reminders about the county rabies tag.
- January 2027. The keypad code changes and annual renewals open. The city's dog park page says it does not prorate late memberships, and it processes applications that arrive outside weekday business hours on the next business day.
That puts the new rules in members' inboxes a few weeks before they apply to renew, and before they get the new code that opens the gate.
Irv Zeid Citizen's Park itself is a five-acre neighborhood park at 9100 Old Bonhomme Road. Besides the dog park, it has a pavilion, a playground, multi-use fields, barbecue grills and picnic tables. Its restrooms are open April through November, so this month is the last one with restroom access until spring. Membership forms go to the Parks & Recreation office at Five Oaks on Warson by mail or email, as described on the city's dog park page.
If you're thinking about which Olivette streets put a fenced dog park and a community center within easy walking distance, Nika Leoni can walk that map with you, block by block. Schedule a private consultation.
