Dogs & animal control — North Cowichan, British Columbia

Do I need a dog licence? What are the leash rules?

District Municipality of North Cowichan has 1 adopted bylaw on file, verified against the original document on 2026-06-08.

Animal Responsibility Bylaw adopted bylaw
licence required True s. 41
licence fee Fee prescribed in Fees Bylaw (amount not stated in this bylaw) s. 42
leash rule Dogs must be on leash not exceeding 6 feet held by a Competent Person in public places; off-leash permitted in designated areas listed in Schedule B s. 29; s. 31
max animals No more than 3 dogs over 8 weeks and no more than 5 cats over 12 weeks (max 6 companion animals total); kennel licence required for 4+ dogs s. 3; s. 56
fine range Not more than $10,000 per offence s. 112
scout note

Governs ownership and control of animals including dogs; sets licensing, leashing, and dangerous-animal requirements.

Machine-readable: animal-control.json · Official website: https://www.northcowichan.ca/ · Last verified 2026-06-08 · Dogs & animal control in other municipalities