Dogs & animal control — Halifax, Nova Scotia

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

Regional municipality of Halifax has 1 adopted bylaw on file, verified against the original document on 2026-06-05.

By-law A-700 Respecting Animals and Responsible Pet Ownership adopted bylaw
licence required True s. 5(1)
leash rule Dog must not run at large; running at large = off owner's property without a leash, on a leash not held by a person, or on a leash not under control s. 2(v); s. 11(1)(a)
fine range Owning unlicensed dog $100-$5,000; most offences $200-$5,000; animal attack $300-$5,000; dangerous-dog attack $600-$5,000 Schedule 2
scout note

Governs licensing, leashing, running at large, and responsible ownership of dogs and other animals across HRM. Done and passed in Council Nov 10, 2015 (effective Nov 28, 2015); amended 2016 and 2020.

By-law A-700 — dedicated page

Halifax.ca landing page for By-law A-700 with overview and links to the consolidated PDF.

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