Yes. According to the City of Toronto (2026), every dog owned in Toronto must be licensed, and it must wear a tag. The licence and the visible tag are two separate legal requirements, so meeting one does not satisfy the other. The City applies the same rule to cats.
Does my dog need a licence in Toronto?
Who must license a dog
The trigger is ownership. According to the City of Toronto (2026), every dog owned in Toronto must be licensed. The official sources consulted do not specify any category of dog that is exempt, so owners should treat the requirement as applying to every dog they own in Toronto.
Two separate duties
| Obligation | What the City requires |
|---|---|
| Licence | Every dog owned in Toronto must be licensed |
| Visible tag | The dog must wear the tag issued with its licence |
Both requirements apply at the same time. Meeting one does not satisfy the other: a licensed dog without its tag and a tagged dog without a licence each fall short of the City’s rule.
What does a Toronto dog licence cost?
Toronto’s annual dog licence fee depends on one factor: whether the dog is spayed or neutered. According to the City of Toronto (2026), a spayed or neutered dog costs $25.00 per year, and a dog that is not spayed or neutered costs $60.00 per year. The fee is the same for every dog in each category, so the sterilisation status of each animal determines its own fee.
| Dog’s status | Annual licence fee (City of Toronto, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Spayed or neutered | $25.00 |
| Not spayed or neutered | $60.00 |
The difference between the two rates is $35.00 per year. For an owner with an intact dog, choosing the lower rate would require the dog to be spayed or neutered, which is a veterinary decision and not a licensing one, so the licence fee should not be the main factor in that choice.
Before applying, check which category your dog falls into and make sure the fee you pay matches it. Applying with the wrong status means paying the wrong amount, so confirm the status first. The official sources consulted do not specify how a correction would be handled if an incorrect fee is paid.
Discounts and free licences
Toronto offers three routes to a reduced or zero licence fee: a free licence for service dogs, a 50% reduction for owners aged 65 and over, and subsidized or waived fees for lower-income households. According to the City of Toronto (2026), these routes apply to the annual dog licence, and each has its own eligibility condition. Owners who qualify under more than one category should confirm with the City which reduction applies, since the official page does not describe how multiple discounts combine.
| Route | Who qualifies | Effect on the licence |
|---|---|---|
| Service dog | Dogs that are service dogs | Licence is free |
| Senior owner | Owners aged 65 and over | 50% off licence fees |
| Lower income | Households with income under $50,000 | Fees may be subsidized or waived |
Service dogs
Service dogs are licensed free of charge under the City of Toronto (2026) rules. The official sources consulted do not set out the criteria a dog must meet to be classed as a service dog, so owners should check that status with the City before applying.
Owners aged 65 and over
Owners aged 65 and over receive 50% off licence fees. The reduction is a percentage of the fee, so it applies to whichever fee the dog’s neutering status produces. The discount is set by owner age rather than by the dog, which means a senior owner with an unneutered dog still receives the reduction on the higher rate.
Lower-income households
Households with income under $50,000 may qualify for subsidized or waived fees. The City’s wording is “may,” so eligibility is assessed case by case. The official sources consulted do not specify the documents required to prove household income or how the assessment is made.
How do I get or renew a licence?
The City of Toronto (2026) accepts dog licence applications through four channels: online, in person, by phone, and by mail. To renew, it asks for either your online access code or your pet’s tag number.
The four application channels
- Online: the City’s online licensing service, where you can license a pet and create the online access code used for later renewals.
- In person: a licence application made at a City of Toronto location.
- By phone: a licence application made over the telephone.
- By mail: a licence application sent by post.
The official sources consulted do not specify office addresses, opening hours, or a dedicated phone number for licence applications. Check the City’s pet licensing pages before visiting an office or calling.
Identifiers needed to renew
To renew, you need one of the following:
- Your online access code, issued when you set up your pet’s licence online.
- Your pet’s tag number, printed on the licence tag the dog wears.
Keep one of these ready before you start the renewal. Either identifier is enough to renew.
Refunds
The City says refunds may be granted if the pet dies or is returned within 30 days of purchase. A refund is not guaranteed. The official sources consulted do not describe the refund procedure, so ask the City directly about what documentation it requires.
When does a dog licence expire?
A Toronto dog licence is valid for exactly 365 days from its start date, so the expiry date is set by the day the licence began, not by a calendar year. According to the City of Toronto (2026), licences must be renewed every year. Because the period runs from the start date, two dogs licensed on different days will have different expiry dates.
The renewal rules operate around that expiry date:
| Rule | What the City of Toronto (2026) states |
|---|---|
| Licence length | Exactly 365 days from the start date |
| Renewal window | Opens up to 60 days before the expiry date |
| Early renewal start | The new licence starts the day after the current licence expires |
Renewing early does not cut the current licence short. The new period begins only once the existing one has run out, so the 60-day window lets you act before expiry without losing the days already paid for.
To avoid a gap in coverage, note the expiry date on your current licence or tag record and mark when the 60-day window opens. The official sources consulted do not specify how the City notifies owners before expiry, so do not rely on a reminder arriving in the mail.
What happens if my dog is unlicensed?
According to the City of Toronto (2026), owners who keep an unlicensed dog could face fines. This is the City’s own enforcement warning. The official page does not state a fine amount, so no dollar figure for this penalty can be confirmed from that source. Treat the fine as a real consequence, not a remote one, because the City links keeping an unlicensed dog to possible penalties.
Why the fine amount is not published
The official page gives no figure for an unlicensed dog. Forum posts, older articles and estimates from third-party sites are not the City’s wording, so do not use them as a reference for what you might pay.
How to confirm the current penalty
Contact the City’s pet licensing team at 416-338-7297 or [email protected]. Ask two specific questions:
- What fine applies if my dog is found unlicensed?
- Does the penalty differ if the licence lapsed rather than was never obtained?
Keep any written reply. It is the most recent, dated source you can point to.
What to do if your dog’s tag is lost
A replacement tag for a dog licensed in Toronto costs $5.65, according to the City of Toronto (2026). This is a separate charge from the annual dog licence fee, so buying a replacement does not change what you pay when the licence renews. A missing tag should be replaced promptly rather than left until the next renewal.
Replacement tag cost versus the licence fee
The two charges work differently:
| Charge | Amount | 50% senior discount applies? |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement tag | $5.65 | No |
| Annual dog licence fee | Charged once per licence year | Yes, for owners aged 65 and over |
Senior owners
Owners aged 65 and over receive a senior 50% discount on licence fees, but the discount does not apply to replacement tags. A senior owner who orders a replacement should expect to pay the full $5.65.
The official sources consulted do not specify whether the income-based subsidy or fee waiver offered by the City applies to replacement tags. To confirm before paying, contact the City’s pet licensing team at 416-338-7297 or [email protected].
