Dogs & animal control — Colchester, Nova Scotia

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

County municipality of Colchester has 3 adopted bylaws on file, verified against the original documents on 2026-06-05.

Commercial Dog Care and Kennel Facility By-law — Chapter 36 adopted bylaw
licence required True s. 3.1
licence fee Application fee as set in Municipal Fees Policy (amount not stated in by-law) s. 3.3.3
fine range $1,000-$10,000 and imprisonment up to two months in default s. 5.3
scout note

Establishes siting and design standards for commercial dog care and kennel facilities to moderate noise and ensure land-use compatibility. Approved by Council April 24, 2025.

Dog By-law — Chapter 35 adopted bylaw
licence required True s. 2; s. 3
licence fee Lifetime registration fee as set in Municipal Fee Policy (amount not stated in by-law) s. 4
leash rule Off owner's premises without apparent restraint/control is running at large; in Development Areas dog must be on harness or leash off owner's property s. 12; s. 13
fine range penalty not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or both s. 28
scout note

Regulates dog registration (lifetime), leashing, and control within the Municipality of Colchester. Approved by Council March 27, 2024.

Livestock Control By-law — Chapter 14 adopted bylaw
leash rule No livestock owner shall allow livestock to run at large on property not owned by them without permission; livestock off owner's property must be enclosed or securely tethered/held s. 3.1; s. 4.1(a)
fine range $100-$5,000 s. 6.1
scout note

Regulates keeping and control of livestock within the Municipality of the County of Colchester. Final reading September 25, 2024.

Machine-readable: animal-control.json · Official website: https://www.colchester.ca/ · Last verified 2026-06-05 · Dogs & animal control across Canada