Moncton Dog Bylaws: Leash, Licence & Rules

The short answer

Moncton's By-Law H-1322 requires an annual dog licence ($10 spayed/neutered, $20 fertile, rabies vaccination current) with the tag worn on the collar, unless the dog is microchipped, in which case it is exempt. Dogs must be leashed off your property, with the fenced Centennial Off-Leash Park as the designated exception. Enforcement runs through P.A.W. animal control (506-961-0992), which serves Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview, Tantramar, and Dorchester.

Heads up: This article is informational and is not legal advice. Details reflect the City of Moncton's published pages as of July 2026 and change over time. For official wording, read By-Law H-1322 on the City of Moncton website, or contact P.A.W. animal control at 506-961-0992 with enforcement questions.

Moncton's dog rules live in By-Law H-1322, the animal control by-law, and they come with a twist most Canadian cities do not have: the organisation enforcing them is the animal shelter. P.A.W. (People for Animal Wellbeing, formerly the Greater Moncton SPCA) employs the animal control officers who patrol Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview, Tantramar, and Dorchester. The people who pick up your loose dog and the people who would rehome it work in the same building on Greenock Street.

Two details catch new owners. First, the licence has a genuine microchip exemption: a chipped dog does not need the annual licence at all, which is rare in Canada. Second, the licence itself is cheap ($10 for a fixed dog) but conditional, because you cannot get one without a current rabies vaccination. The bylaw is inexpensive to follow, and most of the friction disappears entirely if you adopt.

That is because every dog in the Moncton rescue network arrives fixed, microchipped, and rabies-vaccinated. A P.A.W. adoption walks out the door already compliant with the licensing side of H-1322. From there it is a leash and a pocket full of bags.

Licensing: Annual, Cheap, and Skippable With a Chip

Every dog in Moncton needs an annual city licence unless it is microchipped. The current fees:

Licence	Annual Fee
Spayed or neutered dog	$10
Fertile dog	$20
Replacement tag	$10
Microchipped dog	Exempt from licensing

The tag must be worn on the collar, and a current rabies vaccination is required to obtain the licence. The fixed-versus-fertile gap is the city's standing nudge toward sterilisation; our Moncton spay and neuter guide covers the surgery side.

The microchip exemption: a chipped dog skips the licence entirely. Every rescue dog from P.A.W. arrives microchipped, so adopters are compliant on day one at zero cost. The step-by-step process, and what Dieppe and Riverview do differently, is in our Moncton pet licensing guide.

The Leash Expectation

The rule: off your own property, your dog is expected to be on leash and under control. Dogs walked off leash are one of the specific complaint categories P.A.W.'s animal control officers respond to, along with strays, barking, and aggressive animals. Complaint-driven enforcement means your neighbour's phone is effectively part of the system.

The exception: the fenced Centennial Off-Leash Park inside Centennial Park, with separate enclosed areas for large and small dogs. It is the one place in the city where off leash is the design, not a violation.

Everywhere else: the trails at Mapleton Park, the Riverfront Trail along the Petitcodiac, and every neighbourhood sidewalk from downtown to the north end are leash-on territory. The same expectation follows you into Dieppe and Riverview, which share the enforcement team.

Waste pickup: dogs fouling property other than their owner's is another named complaint category. Carry bags. Moncton's freeze-thaw winters mean March reveals every skipped pickup at once.

Who Enforces It: The Shelter Runs Animal Control

Moncton's animal control model is unusual and worth understanding. The animal control officers are employed by P.A.W., the non-profit shelter at 116 Greenock Street, under contract with the municipalities. One team covers the City of Moncton, City of Dieppe, Town of Riverview, Tantramar, Dorchester, and nearby local service districts (Sackville excepted). Areas outside that coverage fall to the NB SPCA at 877-722-1522.

The officers handle stray pickups, barking complaints, off-leash dogs, waste complaints, dangerous or aggressive animals, and dog tag compliance. To report an issue, call 506-961-0992 or email animalcontrolofficer@paw-sba.ca.

The practical upside of shelter-run enforcement: a loose dog picked up in Moncton goes straight to the building best equipped to identify it and get it home. A licence tag or registered microchip turns that into a same-day reunion. An unidentified dog waits, and eventually moves to the adoption floor.

On fines: the City does not publish a simple penalty table online, so we will not invent one. H-1322 contains the offence and penalty provisions; if you have received a notice, contact Moncton by-law enforcement or P.A.W. animal control for the current schedule.

Centennial Off-Leash Park: The Legal Run

Moncton's designated off-leash area sits inside Centennial Park, the city's big west-end park off St. George Boulevard. The dog park is fenced and split into separate enclosures for large and small dogs, which matters if you are settling in a new rescue who is still reading other dogs.

It is a natural, treed space rather than a gravel pen. That makes it pleasant in summer and genuinely muddy in spring and after rain, so keep a towel in the car. Outside the fence, the rest of Centennial Park (the trails, the beach area, Rocky Stone Field) is leash-on like everywhere else.

For a newly adopted dog, we tell Moncton adopters the same thing every time: skip the dog park for the first few weeks. Decompression comes first, and a fenced yard or long-line walk beats a fence full of strangers while your dog is still learning that you are home base.

The New-Adopter Compliance Checklist

Microchip: done for you if you adopted from P.A.W.; confirm the chip registration lists your current phone number, because the exemption and the reunion both depend on it.
Rabies vaccination: included with a P.A.W. dog adoption; keep the certificate, and keep it current at your annual vet visit.
Licence: only needed if your dog is not chipped. Ten dollars fixed, twenty fertile, tag on the collar, renewed annually through the City of Moncton.
Leash: on, everywhere off your property, except inside the Centennial off-leash fence.
Bags: in every jacket pocket you own. Cheapest rule in the bylaw to follow.

Browse adoptable Moncton dogs

Every P.A.W. dog arrives microchipped and rabies-vaccinated, which means it is already compliant with Moncton's licensing rules the day it comes home.

See Available Moncton Dogs →

Frequently Asked Questions

What bylaw covers dogs in Moncton?

By-Law H-1322, the City of Moncton by-law relating to animal control. It covers dog licensing, the tag requirement, at-large and leash expectations, and nuisance rules. Day-to-day enforcement is handled by animal control officers employed by P.A.W. (People for Animal Wellbeing, the shelter formerly known as the Greater Moncton SPCA), reachable at 506-961-0992 or animalcontrolofficer@paw-sba.ca.

Does my dog have to be on a leash in Moncton?

Yes, off your own property. P.A.W.'s animal control officers list dogs being walked off leash among the complaints they respond to, alongside strays and aggressive animals. The exception is the fenced Centennial Off-Leash Park inside Centennial Park, which has separate enclosed spaces for large and small dogs. Everywhere else, from the Riverfront Trail to Mapleton Park, keep the leash on.

Do I have to license my dog in Moncton?

Yes, unless the dog is microchipped. Moncton requires an annual licence for every dog, at $10 for a spayed or neutered dog and $20 for a fertile one, and the tag must be worn on the collar. The microchip exemption is the unusual part: a chipped dog does not need the licence at all, though every other bylaw rule still applies. Rabies vaccination must be current to get a licence.

How much is a dog licence in Moncton?

Ten dollars a year for a spayed or neutered dog, twenty for a fertile dog, and ten for a replacement tag if you lose one. The licence renews annually and requires an up-to-date rabies vaccination. It is one of the cheaper dog licences in Canada, and a microchipped dog skips it entirely. Our Moncton pet licensing guide walks through the process step by step.

Who enforces animal bylaws in Moncton?

P.A.W. animal control officers, under contract with the municipalities. They cover the City of Moncton, City of Dieppe, Town of Riverview, Tantramar, Dorchester, and surrounding local service districts (excluding Sackville). They respond to strays, barking complaints, off-leash dogs, dogs fouling other properties, and dangerous or aggressive animals. Reach them at 506-961-0992 or animalcontrolofficer@paw-sba.ca. For areas outside their coverage, the NB SPCA line is 877-722-1522.

What are the fines for breaking Moncton dog bylaws?

The City does not publish a simple fine table on its website the way some cities do, so we are deliberately not quoting dollar amounts we cannot source. By-Law H-1322 sets out the offences and penalty provisions, and animal control officers can issue enforcement action for at-large dogs, unlicensed dogs, and nuisance complaints. If you have received a notice, contact Moncton by-law enforcement or the P.A.W. animal control office directly for the current penalty schedule.

Where can my dog go off leash in Moncton?

The Centennial Off-Leash Park, inside Centennial Park off St. George Boulevard, is the city's designated off-leash area, with fenced sections for large dogs and small dogs. It is a natural, treed space that gets muddy in wet weather, so bring a towel in spring. Outside the fence, normal leash expectations apply throughout Centennial Park itself and across the rest of the city.

Do I have to pick up after my dog in Moncton?

Yes. Dogs defecating off their owner's property is one of the specific complaint types P.A.W.'s animal control officers respond to, which tells you it is both a bylaw matter and a neighbour-relations matter. Carry bags on every walk. Moncton's freeze-thaw winters make spring the season when un-picked-up waste becomes everyone's problem at once.

What happens to stray dogs in Moncton?

Stray pickups are handled by P.A.W. animal control, and the shelter at 116 Greenock Street is where found dogs end up. If your dog goes missing, call P.A.W. at 506-857-8698 as soon as possible and check in person. A licence tag or registered microchip is what gets a dog home fast; unidentified dogs wait longer and may eventually move to the adoption floor.

Are there dangerous dog rules in Moncton?

Dangerous and aggressive animals are a named category in the complaints P.A.W.'s animal control officers handle under the bylaw. If your dog has had a serious incident, take it seriously before enforcement does: talk to your vet, bring in a qualified trainer, and manage the dog on leash and muzzle in public in the meantime. New Brunswick also has provincial dog regulations that layer on top of municipal rules.

Do Dieppe and Riverview have the same dog rules as Moncton?

Same enforcement team, separate municipal rules. P.A.W.'s officers cover Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview, Tantramar, and Dorchester, but each municipality writes its own bylaw and licence scheme. Dieppe, for example, has its own approach to microchipping. If you live in Dieppe or Riverview, check your own town's bylaw pages rather than assuming Moncton's fees and exemptions apply to you.

Does Moncton license cats?

The City of Moncton's licensing pages cover dog licences; there is no cat licence program listed. That puts Moncton in the majority of Canadian cities (Saskatoon, by contrast, licenses cats too). Cat owners are not off the hook on nuisance rules, though, and P.A.W. rents live traps for managing stray and feral cats in the area.