Dog Parks in Chandigarh: Where Dogs Are Allowed, Registration

Last checked: 22 October 2026. Every rule below links to the order or news report it comes from. Chandigarh’s dog rules changed in October 2025; we couldn’t find the final text online, so this page relies on news reports of it. Where the board at a gate says something different, follow the board. Mohali and Panchkula are covered near the end.

The short answers

• Are dogs allowed at Sukhna Lake? No. The city’s dog bylaws, in force since 30 October 2025, keep dogs out of Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Leisure Valley, Bougainvillea Garden, Shanti Kunj and the Botanical Garden at Sarangpur.
• Can I walk my dog in my sector park? As far as we can tell, yes, unless the MC has notified your park. The final bylaws name the big gardens plus “other public parks notified by the MCC from time to time” (ANI, 30 Oct 2025), and the June 2025 House version allowed pet walking in regular parks if you carry poop bags.
• Is there a dog park? None that we could confirm. The MC planned one in Sector 42 in 2021, and we found no report that it was built.
• Do I need to register my dog? Yes, once it is four months old. It costs ₹500, renewed every five years for ₹50.
• What are the fines? ₹500 for each breach of the dog bylaws, and ₹10,000 for dog poop in a public place, which counts as littering.

Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden, Rock Garden: no dogs

The Municipal Corporation Chandigarh Pet and Community Dog Bye-Laws, 2025, were approved by the UT Administrator, Gulab Chand Kataria, after two years of debate, and came into force on Thursday, 30 October 2025 (Times of India, 30 Oct 2025; Tribune, 16 Nov 2025).

• No dogs at: Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Leisure Valley, Bougainvillea Garden, Shanti Kunj, the Botanical Garden at Sarangpur “and other public parks notified by the MCC from time to time” (ANI, 30 Oct 2025; Times of India, 9 Oct 2025).
• Also named in June 2025: Fragrance Garden, Terrace Garden, Mini Rose Garden, Shivalik Garden and “any green belt of 20 acres or more” (Tribune, 4 Jun 2025). Reports on the final version don’t name these, so check the board at the gate.
• Fines: capped at ₹500 per breach; an MC official said the current law allows no more. An unpaid fine can go on your water or property tax bill (Times of India, 30 Oct 2025). Dog poop left in a public place counts as littering under the city’s solid waste bylaws: a ₹500 fine plus ₹9,500 in administrative charges, so ₹10,000 (MC Solid Waste Management Bye-laws 2018; Tribune, 30 Oct 2025).

Sector parks and green belts

When the MC House approved the bylaws in June 2025, The Tribune reported that “Pet walking will be allowed in regular parks, with a strict requirement for owners to carry poop bags” (Tribune, 4 Jun 2025). Reports on the notified version sum up the ban as covering “public parks and gardens including Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden, Rock Garden, and others” (Times of India, 30 Oct 2025), without saying whether small sector parks are included. So keep the leash on, pick up, and follow the park’s board.

The old rules were stricter: in 2019 the MC set up teams to fine people ₹500 for bringing pet dogs into gardens, parks and green belts (Times of India, 18 Apr 2019).

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), the statutory board under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, tells housing societies that “seeking to ban pets from gardens or parks, is short-sighted” and suggests agreeing dog timings instead; they can’t keep pets out of lifts either (AWBI guidelines, 26 Feb 2015). For public parks, in a 2016 letter to Delhi’s parks authority, the Board said leashed dogs walked by adults “will not therefore be banned”, and that parks can set reasonable dog hours instead (AWBI, 15 Nov 2016).

If your park has a “No dogs” board, don’t argue with the guard: ask your RWA or ward councillor which rule it follows.

Is there a dog park in Chandigarh?

• Sector 42 (planned, not confirmed). In January 2020 the then UT Administrator, V P Singh Badnore, asked the MC to explore a dog park; the MC’s first plan was for vaccinated pet dogs only, with friendly dogs free to roam (Times of India, 31 Jan 2020). A year later the MC picked 1.5 acres at a mango park in Sector 42, estimated the cost at about ₹49 lakh and modelled it on a dog park in Hyderabad (Times of India, 29 Jan 2021), and its finance committee approved it the next day (Tribune, 30 Jan 2021). We found no later report that it was built, so we couldn’t confirm it’s open.
• Private dog parks. We couldn’t find one in Chandigarh, Mohali or Panchkula with its own website.

Registering your dog in Chandigarh

• When and cost: every dog, once it is four months old (Tribune, 30 Oct 2025). ₹500 per dog, renewed every five years for ₹50 (Times of India, 30 Oct 2025).
• How many dogs: reports of the final bylaws differ. The Times of India and The Tribune (30 Oct 2025) give one dog up to 5 marla (one per floor in a three-storey house), two in 10 marla, three in 12 marla and four in 1 kanal; ANI gives two for 5 to 12 marla, three for 12 marla to 1 kanal and four above 1 kanal. Ask the MC before you add a dog.
• Banned breeds: American Bulldog, American Pitbull, Bull Terrier, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino and Rottweiler, and their crosses. ANI’s report of the notification also lists Pitbull Terrier. Dogs of these breeds already registered can stay: ANI reported 45 days from notification to register them, and they must always be muzzled and leashed in public. In November 2025 the MC said it would stop registering them from the next month (Tribune, 16 Nov 2025).
• Where: the MC lists “Permission for keeping Pets” among its services, at SCO 7, 8 and 9, 30 Bays Building, Sector 17 (MC Chandigarh, Aug 2026). In 2022 it asked for your dog’s vaccination card, a vet’s attestation, an undertaking and your Aadhaar, and you could also apply in the i’m Chandigarh app (Tribune, 16 Mar 2022). We couldn’t confirm the app still does this.
• The token: each registered dog gets a metal token and collar, to be worn at all times, and an unregistered dog may be impounded (ANI, 30 Oct 2025).

Mohali and Panchkula

• Mohali: we found no dog park. In November 2021 the Mohali MC made pet dog registration compulsory, at ₹100 once plus ₹100 a year (Tribune, 17 Nov 2021). We couldn’t confirm today’s fees.
• Panchkula: no dog park found either. In September 2025 the Panchkula MC made registration compulsory, by an offline form since the SARAL portal had closed. It reminded dog parents to keep dogs on a leash, carry waste bags and use muzzles in public places (Tribune, 7 Sep 2025), although the AWBI’s 2016 letter says park authorities “cannot insist on the use of muzzles”. Panchkula banned keeping Pitbulls and Rottweilers in 2022 (Tribune, 30 Sep 2022).

Street dogs on your walk

Dog bites in Chandigarh doubled from 5,365 in 2022 to 10,621 in 2023, counted to 12 December (Tribune, 29 Mar 2024). In December 2025 the MC notified 199 feeding spots for community dogs, each with a map link, and said more would follow (MC public notice, Dec 2025); it plans about 1,500, with a board at each (Times of India, 20 Jan 2026). Throwing food for dogs in public places or by the road, away from these spots, is punishable under the bylaws (ANI, 30 Oct 2025), and an MC official said feeding zones must be away from “dog-walking routes” (Times of India, 30 Oct 2025). If one sits on your route, go another way at feeding time.

If a street dog bites you: in 2024 the city’s dog bite clinics were in Sectors 19 and 38 and at GMSH, Sector 16. Compensation claims go to a committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner and need a medical report and a daily diary report (DDR) from your police station (Tribune, 23 Jul 2024). The Punjab and Haryana High Court set the minimum at ₹10,000 per tooth mark in November 2023 (LiveLaw, 14 Nov 2023). The form is on the MC’s website.

What to carry

• A leash. The February 2025 draft said no longer than 1.5 to 2 metres (Tribune, 7 Feb 2025); the June 2025 version says only that dogs must be leashed in public (Tribune, 4 Jun 2025).
• Poop bags, more than you think you need.
• The token on your dog’s collar, and photos of its rabies vaccination and registration certificates on your phone.
• A muzzle if your dog is one of the listed breeds: the notified bylaws require one in public (ANI, 30 Oct 2025).
• Water and a bowl. In the hot months, walk early or late, and hold your hand on the path for five seconds: if it’s too hot for you, walk later (Dogs Trust). See heatstroke in dogs.

Puppies: wait until your vet says your puppy’s vaccinations protect it before taking it to busy parks, see the puppy vaccination schedule. Ticks: check your dog after walks through long grass, see how to check your dog for ticks.

Park manners

1. Keep the leash on in every public park.
2. Pick up every poop and bin it.
3. Ask before your dog greets another dog or a person.
4. If your dog bites a person or another dog, stay, share your number and show your dog’s rabies vaccination record. A bitten person should wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor (WHO). A bitten dog should see a vet. Under the bylaws you alone are responsible for any injury or damage your dog causes (Times of India, 30 Oct 2025).

More for a first visit: dog park etiquette. If you know a park’s dog rule or a dog park we’ve missed in Chandigarh, Mohali or Panchkula, tell us and we’ll add it. If your dog runs off, search close by first, then report the lost or found dog free on FurFam: your report gets its own page to share in WhatsApp groups.

Dog parks in other cities: Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Kochi.

FAQs

Can I take my dog to Sukhna Lake early in the morning? No. The bylaws keep dogs out of Sukhna Lake, and the reports we read give no dog hours.

How do I register my dog in Chandigarh? Apply to the MC at the 30 Bays Building, Sector 17, once your dog is four months old. It costs ₹500, renewed every five years for ₹50. Take your dog’s rabies vaccination record.

Can I keep a Rottweiler or Pitbull in Chandigarh? Not a new one. The bylaws ban the listed breeds, including Rottweilers and American Pitbulls, and their crosses; dogs already registered can stay, muzzled and leashed in public. Panchkula has banned Pitbulls and Rottweilers since 2022.

Is there a dog park in Chandigarh, Mohali or Panchkula? Not one we could confirm. We found no report that the MC’s 2021 plan for a dog park in Sector 42 was built, and no private dog park with its own website.