Oswego Dog Park Now Free To Use: Permit Fees, Licenses Abolished

OSWEGO, IL — Permit fees and licenses are no longer required to make use of Oswego's dog park.

The Village Board discussed an ordinance amending regulations for Happy Tails Dog Park, which opened in 2023 next to the Public Works facility at 100 Theodore Drive, at its regular meeting Dec. 9.

The agenda item originally called only for the elimination of permit fees, but before voting, Trustee Jennifer Hughes proposed an amendment requesting the Board also eliminate the requirement to have a license to enter the park.

"It creates an administrative burden; it creates a difficulty in enforcement," she said. "The entrance into the park was governed by the swipe card previously, and that's kind of how you knew someone had a permit. But if we're going to not charge for the permit fee, I would suggest that we remove [the license requirement]."

Trustees unanimously passed the ordinance with Hughes' amendments.

The change came as dog park license fees have "generated diminishing revenues over time," amounting to $11,238 in the 2023 fiscal year, $7,194 in 2024 and $4,002 in 2025, according to a memo.

"Current operational costs for the facility are minimal and are being managed within existing budget appropriations," staff wrote in the document.

The village is also considering alternate locations for the dog park. The Village Board directed staff at its June 24 Committee of the Whole meeting to evaluate alternatives to the current site. Trustees voted to remove license fees while "long-term operations and location decisions are finalized," the memo states.