Dog Licence in Toronto: Cost, How to Get One, and Why

Checked on 21 October 2026 against the City of Toronto’s pet licensing pages. The fees page was last updated on 14 May 2026, and it has the final word if fees change.

The short answers

• Who needs one? Every dog and cat owned in Toronto. It must wear its tag, and the licence is renewed every year (City of Toronto, Pet Licensing).
• What does it cost? $25 a year for a spayed or neutered dog, $60 for one that isn’t. The tag is included. If you’re 65 or older it’s half price (fees page).
• How do I get one? Online through DocuPet, the City’s licensing partner, by phone, by mail or in person.
• What if I don’t? A $240 ticket, or a fine of up to $5,000 (fees page).

What it costs

From the City’s Pet Licensing Fees page:

• Aged 65 or older: 50% off the licence (not the replacement tag).
• Household income under $50,000: you may qualify for a lower fee or none at all. Call 416-338-7297 or email petlicensing@toronto.ca.
• A guide or assistance dog, licensed for the first time: call or email the same number and address; renewals can then be done online.
• Cats need a licence too: $15 if spayed or neutered, $50 if not.

How to get one

From the City’s Ways to License Your Pet page:

• Online: at toronto.docupet.com, with a credit card or a Visa or Mastercard debit card. To renew, you’ll need your online access code or your dog’s tag number.
• By phone: 416-338-PETS (7387), Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
• By mail: send the City’s Pet Licence Application with a cheque payable to “Treasurer, City of Toronto” to Toronto Animal Services, 433 Eastern Ave., Building B, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M4M 1B7.
• In person, by appointment (call 416-338-7297, 10:30 am to 6:30 pm), at Toronto Animal Services North (1300 Sheppard Ave W), East (821 Progress Ave) or West (146 The East Mall).

Even if you apply in person, the tag comes in the mail. The City’s pages give no minimum age for a dog to be licensed: the rule covers every dog owned in Toronto, so we’d license a new puppy or rescue as soon as it’s home.

Renewing, moving and other changes

From the fees page:

• Renewal: a licence ends exactly 365 days after it starts. You can renew in the 60 days before it runs out, and the new year starts the day after the old one ends, so renewing early doesn’t cut your current year short.
• Spayed or neutered since you last paid? Call 1-855-249-1370 to change your dog’s status, which also changes the fee.
• Moving within Toronto: update your address in your online account; your dog keeps its tag. Moving out of Toronto: ask the new town how its licensing works.
• Refunds: possible if your pet dies or is returned within 30 days of buying the licence.

Why it’s worth having

• A lost dog gets home faster. The licence gives whoever finds your dog what they need to reach you, and the City says licensed lost pets get home faster and spend less time in shelters (Pet Licensing).
• Off-leash areas need it. Dogs in the City’s off-leash areas must be licensed and vaccinated (Dogs Off-Leash), and a commercial dog walker has to make sure every dog they walk wears its City licence tag (Parks bylaw, § 608-34.1). See off-leash dog parks in Toronto.
• The Chip Truck. Toronto Animal Services’ mobile clinic charges $10 “for microchip and/or rabies vaccine”, and only for pets with a current City licence. No dates were posted when we checked; new events go up on the Chip Truck page.
• BluePaw discounts. Every active licence comes with a BluePaw keychain tag, which gets you discounts at partner businesses, from dog walkers and groomers to vets (BluePaw Rewards).
• The money goes to animals. The City says all licence fees go to the animals that come into its shelters: food, shelter, vet care, spay and neuter programs, rescue and returning lost pets home (fees page).

A licence isn’t a rabies shot or a microchip

• Rabies: Ontario law requires dogs over three months old to be vaccinated against rabies, and dog parents to keep a copy of the vet’s vaccine certificate (Toronto Public Health). Ask your vet when your puppy’s first rabies shot and the boosters are due.
• Microchip: the licence is a yearly registration with a tag; a microchip is implanted. If Toronto Animal Services ever picks up your dog running loose, you’ll have to make sure it has a microchip within 24 hours of getting it back (Animals bylaw, § 349-14).

FAQs

How much is a dog licence in Toronto? $25 a year for a spayed or neutered dog and $60 for one that isn’t, with the tag included. Dog parents aged 65 or older pay half (fees page, checked 21 October 2026).

Do I have to renew every year? Yes. A licence lasts 365 days. Renew in the 60 days before it ends; the new licence starts the day after the old one ends.

What’s the fine for an unlicensed dog? $240 on a ticket, or up to $5,000 (fees page).

Does my dog have to wear the tag? Yes, at all times (Animals bylaw, § 349-11). If you lose it, a replacement is $5.65.

I live in Mississauga, Vaughan or Markham. Is this my licence? No: this is the City of Toronto’s licence. Mississauga and Brampton have their own, covered in dog parks in Mississauga and Brampton; for anywhere else, ask your own city.

More for Toronto dog parents: off-leash dog parks in Toronto and dog boarding in Toronto.