Application for initial issuance or renewal of each registration must be made by the owner in writing or in person and be accompanied by a fee as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix
A of this code. If the cat or dog being registered has been neutered or spayed and proof of such surgical sterilization can be shown to an animal control officer or a veterinarian authorized to issue such registrations, the fee will then be discounted, as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix
A of this code. Dogs and cats under the age of one year shall be registered at the sterilized fee. Animals may be exempt from the sterilization provision upon written recommendation from a veterinarian that such alteration would be harmful or dangerous to the animal.