REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 17, 2026
FROM
JANKI PATEL, Acting Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Revenue Contract with DocuPet Corp. for Pet Licensing Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Revenue Contract with DocuPet Corp., including non-standard terms, terminating and superseding an existing contract, for pet licensing services, in an amount not-to-exceed $450,000, for the period of November 3, 2026 through October 31, 2029.
(Presenter: Janki Patel, Acting Director, 387-9146)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Foster Sustainable Development Through Strategic Partnerships.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). DocuPet Corp. (DocuPet) collects approximately $700,000 annually in pet license fees on behalf of the Department of Public Health (DPH) and remits those revenues to the County. DocuPet will invoice the County for pet licensing services in an amount not-to-exceed $150,000 per year, or $450,000 for the three-year term. These services will be funded with pet license revenue collected through the DocuPet platform. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in DPH’s 2026-27 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
San Bernardino County Code section 16.0213A requires all dogs to be licensed, and dogs are required to be vaccinated against rabies to help keep pets and the communities they live in safe. DocuPet’s online platform provides a convenient option for pet owners to register their pets, purchase or renew County pet licenses, submit required proof of rabies vaccination, and access optional services such as license tag personalization and free lost-pet services. DocuPet also collects pet license fees on behalf of the County.
The Animal Care Division of DPH has partnered with DocuPet since 2022 to provide pet licensing services for residents of the unincorporated areas of the county, as well as those in Big Bear Lake and Yucaipa. Approximately 15,250 pets were licensed through DocuPet in 2025.
On August 22, 2022, Purchasing executed a contract with DocuPet, following review by County Counsel, to provide pet licensing services. Under the contract’s Collection and Allocation of Fees term, DocuPet retains up to $70,000 per year from the licensing fees it collects and remits the County’s share of the fees on a monthly basis. The contract period is from August 29, 2022 through August 28, 2025, with two automatic one-year renewals for a maximum five-year term ending August 28, 2027, unless terminated by either party. Approval of the recommended Contract will terminate this contract.
The recommended Contract updates both the County’s dog license fees and DocuPet’s service fees and changes the process for handling pet license revenue. Under the existing contract, for pet license fees collected through DocuPet’s website, DocuPet deducts the applicable service fees and remits the remaining revenue to the County. Under the recommended Contract, DocuPet will remit the collected pet license revenue to the County, and the County will separately pay DocuPet for its services. The recommended Contract also removes the automatic renewal provision included in the existing contract.
In addition, the recommended Contract includes non-standard terms that differ from the standard County contract terms:
1. Disclaimer of warranty
• The County standard contract terms require vendors and service providers to fully warrant the products and services they provide to the County.
• Potential Impact: The County’s use of DocuPet’s services is solely at its own risk.
2. Limitation of liability
• The County standard contract terms do not include a limitation of liability.
• Potential Impact: DocuPet limits its liability to the County for all claims arising under the contract to the total fees paid to DocuPet under the contract. Claims could exceed the contract amount, leaving the County financially liable for the excess.
3. Mutual indemnification
• The County standard contract indemnity provision requires the contractor to indemnify, defend, and hold County harmless from third-party claims arising out of the acts, errors or omissions of any person.
• Potential Impact: By agreeing to indemnify DocuPet, the County could be contractually waiving the protection of sovereign immunity. Claims that may otherwise be barred against the County, time limited, or expense-limited could be brought against DocuPet without such limitations and the County could be responsible to defend and reimburse DocuPet for costs, expenses, and damages, which could exceed the total Contract amount.
DPH recommends approval of the Contract with DocuPet, including the non-standard terms, which will terminate and supersede the existing contract, to continue providing residents with convenient options for licensing their dogs as required by law and implement the revised process for handling pet license revenue.
This item is being presented at this time as it is the first date available following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews and the completion of contract negotiations. Approval at this time will not impact DPH’s services or activities.
PROCUREMENT
Purchasing supports the noncompetitive Contract with DocuPet due to the specialized nature of their services and DPH’s ongoing use of their proprietary pet registration system. DPH has used DocuPet’s services since 2022; maintaining continuity of these services results in uninterrupted access and significant cost benefits when considering the added transitional costs of implementing a replacement licensing system.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Daniel Pasek, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 13, 2026; Risk Management (Arrissia Beaven, Staff Analyst II, 386-9030) on October 1, 2026; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on October 9, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Guy Martinez, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-5428) on October 22, 2026.