How to License Your Pet in Edmonton (Dogs and Cats)

Edmonton's rule, in the City's own words: “all cats and dogs over 6 months of age, even indoor pets, must be licensed.” That comes from the Animal Care and Control Bylaw (21244), the renewed bylaw that took effect on May 19, 2026.

The part that trips people up is cats. Edmonton is one of the few Canadian cities that licenses cats the same way it licenses dogs, and the bylaw makes no exception for indoor-only cats. If you have a cat over six months old, it needs a licence whether or not it ever sets a paw outside. Note the age: Edmonton's threshold is six months, a little later than some other Alberta cities, but once a pet hits that age the licence is due.

This is the Edmonton detail most owners miss. Seniors aged 65 and older, and people receiving income assistance, qualify for a 50% discount on the licence fee for a spayed or neutered pet. That brings a dog down to $19 a year and a cat to $12. Over a pet's life that is real money, and it keeps pets in homes that might otherwise struggle with the cost.

Two practical notes. Supporting documentation is required to qualify, and the application channel differs: seniors can apply online, but income-support applicants must apply in person at the Animal Care and Control Centre. The discount applies to fixed pets only, not intact animals. If transportation is a barrier, the City asks you to call 311 for options.

Separately, service and guide dogs are free, as are dogs owned by a registered not-for-profit rescue. They still have to be licensed, just without the fee, and those applications are done in person with documentation.

Online (fastest): use the City self-serve portal linked from the edmonton.ca pet licences page. Works any time of day for a standard new licence or renewal.

In person: the Animal Care and Control Centre at 13550 163 Street, open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm (closed Sunday). This is the route for the senior or income-support discount, and for service or guide dog licences.

By mail: send your application and payment to PO Box 2670, Edmonton, AB T5J 2G4.

The City accepts Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and debit. A downloadable paper application form is available on the pet licences page if you prefer to mail or hand it in.

If you just brought home a rescue, licensing belongs on your first-week checklist alongside a vet visit and updating the microchip registration. Any dog or cat over six months old needs a licence now; a younger puppy or kitten gets licensed once it reaches six months.

Settling the licence early matters most during the nervous first days, when a newly adopted pet is the most likely to bolt. With the licence on file, the City already has your contact details if your pet is found. Our guides on the first week with a rescue cat and on adopting from Edmonton Humane Society cover the rest of the settling-in window, and the cat adoption cost breakdown folds the licence into the wider first-year budget.

It is easy to read “mandatory pet licence” as a cash grab. The benefit attached to it is the reason to do it gladly rather than grudgingly.

In the City's words: “your pet license also includes your City of Edmonton pet tag which helps increase the likelihood that if your pet is wearing it when it gets out it will be reunited with you. It also includes one free ride home each year.” If your licensed pet is found wearing its tag, the City can get it back to you, and the first ride home each year is on them. That is the single best argument for licensing a cat that occasionally slips out a door.

The licence fee also funds Edmonton's animal care and control work, the same system that takes in, vets, and rehomes the next stray. For an adoption-minded city, that loop is the point: your $23 cat licence helps fund the shelter pipeline that put your adopted pet on this site in the first place. It is the cheapest contribution to local animal welfare you will make, and it happens to be the law under the newly renewed bylaw.