How to Licence Your Dog in London, Ontario

The short answer

A licence is required for every London dog over six months. Register between January and July and it costs $33 if the dog is fixed and microchipped, $39 if fixed only, $63 if not fixed. After July 1 those drop to $23, $26, and $37. Buy it at the London Animal Care Centre, 121 Pine Valley Boulevard. Every licence expires December 31. Your leash cannot exceed 1.8 metres, and the household limit is three dogs.

Dog licensing is the piece of London pet ownership that adopters most often skip, usually because they assume it is optional or that a microchip covers it. Neither is true here. The City states plainly that dogs and cats within London are required to be licensed each year.

The Dog Licensing and Control By-law PH-4 is unambiguous. Section 3.5 states that no person who is an owner of a dog shall, within the City of London, fail to have a current valid licence for that dog. It applies to dogs over six months of age.

The good news is that the process is simple and the fee is modest, especially if your dog came from a rescue already spayed or neutered and microchipped, which nearly all London rescue dogs do.

London Dog Licence Fees

Dog status	Registered Jan 1 to Jul 1	Acquired or moved in after Jul 1
Spayed or neutered and microchipped	$33	$23
Spayed or neutered only	$39	$26
Not spayed or neutered	$63	$37

Owners aged 65 and over receive a $5 discount per dog. Guide and service dogs are free with proof documentation. Fees per the London Animal Care Centre as of July 2026. Confirm current pricing before you pay.

Where and How to Buy One

London Animal Care Centre, 121 Pine Valley Boulevard, 519-685-1330. Handles both new applications and renewals. Three ways in: book an appointment by phone, walk in and register at the shelter, or register online. The online route takes roughly one to two weeks to process, so choose in-person if you want the tag in hand today.

City Clerk's Office, 300 Dufferin Avenue, 519-661-4530. Renewals only. If this is a brand new dog, the Clerk's Office cannot help you, and a wasted trip downtown is a genuinely annoying way to learn that.

Bring proof of your rabies vaccination, proof of spay or neuter, and your microchip number. Those three documents are what move you from the $63 tier to the $33 tier, so they are worth digging out of the adoption folder before you go. A rescue dog's adoption paperwork normally has all three on one page.

The December 31 Trap

London licences expire on December 31 of the year they were issued. That is a fixed calendar expiry, not a rolling twelve months from purchase. Buy a licence in early November and it lapses about seven weeks later.

The City clearly knows this, which is why registering after July 1 costs less: $23 to $37 instead of $33 to $63. It is a prorated second half of the year rather than a discount.

What this means practically: if you adopt in autumn, buy the licence anyway. It is cheap at that point, and it keeps you compliant during exactly the period when a newly adopted dog is most likely to bolt out an unfamiliar door. Then set a January reminder and renew at the standard rate.

Leash Rules and the Three-Dog Limit

The leash cannot exceed 1.8 metres. Section 4.10 of PH-4 deems a dog to be running at large if it is not under the physical control of a person by means of a leash no greater than 1.8 metres. That is roughly six feet. Most retractable leashes extend well past that limit, which makes them non-compliant when extended and, separately, a poor tool for control on a busy path.

Three dogs per dwelling unit. Section 4.1 caps the number of dogs kept in or about any dwelling unit at three, with exceptions for registered kennels, fostering organizations, and certain grandfathered situations. If you want to foster for a London rescue and already have dogs, ask the rescue how the fostering exception applies to you before you commit.

Off leash only where designated. The by-law contemplates areas the City may designate as off-leash parks where dogs may run at large. Those designated spaces are the only legal off-leash option. Everywhere else, including the Thames Valley Parkway, Springbank Park, Gibbons Park, and any unfenced green space, the leash rule applies. Designations change, so check the current list with the City or the LACC rather than trusting a park you remember.

Skipping the licence costs more than buying it

The London Animal Care Centre warns that failing to purchase a dog licence or cat identification can result in penalties, including an increased licence fee, an administrative monetary penalty, or court action. Set the money aside and the real point is this: the licence and the microchip are the two systems that get a lost dog home. A dog that slips a collar in a January snowstorm near Old East Village has a far better night ahead of it if both are current. That is worth $33.

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Rescue dogs here arrive spayed or neutered and microchipped, which puts you in the lowest $33 licence tier from day one. Refreshed regularly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a dog licence in London, Ontario?

Yes. London requires a licence for every dog over six months of age. The Dog Licensing and Control By-law PH-4 states that no owner of a dog shall fail to have a current valid licence for that dog within the City of London. Licences are annual and expire on December 31 of the year they were issued, regardless of when in the year you bought one. London also runs a cat identification program, so a household with both animals has paperwork for both.

How much is a dog licence in London, Ontario?

For a first-time registration between January 1 and July 1, the London Animal Care Centre charges $33 for a dog that is both spayed or neutered and microchipped, $39 for a dog that is spayed or neutered only, and $63 for a dog that is not spayed or neutered. For a dog acquired or moved into London after July 1, the same tiers drop to $23, $26, and $37. Owners aged 65 and over receive a $5 discount per dog, and guide and service dogs are free with proof documentation.

Where do I buy a dog licence in London?

The London Animal Care Centre at 121 Pine Valley Boulevard handles both new applications and renewals, and can be reached at 519-685-1330. The City Clerk office at 300 Dufferin Avenue handles renewals only. The LACC offers three routes: book an appointment by phone, register in person at the shelter, or register online, which takes roughly one to two weeks to process. If you are on a deadline, the in-person route is the reliable one.

When does a London dog licence expire?

December 31 of the year it was issued. That is a calendar expiry rather than a rolling twelve months, which catches people out. A licence bought in November expires about six weeks later. This is exactly why the City prices a post-July 1 registration lower, at $23 to $37 instead of $33 to $63. If you adopt in the autumn, buy the licence anyway, then renew in the new year at the standard rate.

Why is the London dog licence cheaper if my dog is fixed and microchipped?

Because both reduce the workload the City carries. A microchipped dog that gets loose can be identified and returned quickly instead of occupying a kennel while staff hunt for an owner, and a spayed or neutered dog does not produce accidental litters that end up in the shelter system. The City passes that saving back through the fee tiers. The spread is real money: $33 versus $63 in the first half of the year, repeated every year for the life of the dog.

Do I need a licence for a dog I just adopted in London?

Yes, once the dog is over six months, and the timing depends on where you adopted. A dog adopted from the London Animal Care Centre arrives with a two-year fee-waived City licence already included in the $365 adoption fee, so there is nothing to buy on day one. A dog adopted from Humane Society London & Middlesex or ARF Ontario does need a licence purchased separately. Since both organizations spay or neuter and microchip before adoption, your dog should qualify for the lowest $33 tier.

How many dogs can I have in London, Ontario?

Three. By-law PH-4 section 4.1 states that no person shall keep more than three dogs within or about any dwelling unit in the City of London. There are exceptions for registered kennels, fostering organizations, and certain grandfathered situations. If you are thinking about fostering for a London rescue, that exception is worth asking about directly, because the rules around it are specific and the rescue will know how they apply to your household.

What are the leash rules in London, Ontario?

Your dog must be under physical control by a leash no longer than 1.8 metres. By-law PH-4 section 4.10 deems a dog to be running at large if it is not under the physical control of a person by means of a leash of that maximum length. That 1.8 metre limit is the detail people miss, because plenty of retractable leashes extend well past it. On the Thames Valley Parkway and in city parks, a standard six-foot leash keeps you compliant and gives you actual control.

Are there off-leash dog parks in London, Ontario?

Yes. The by-law explicitly contemplates areas that the City may designate as off-leash parks where dogs are permitted to run at large. Those designated areas are the only places your dog can legally be off leash. Because designations and locations change, check the current list on the City of London website or with the London Animal Care Centre before you rely on a particular park. Everywhere else, the 1.8 metre leash rule applies, including trails and unfenced green space.

What happens if I do not licence my dog in London?

The London Animal Care Centre states that failing to purchase a dog licence or cat identification can result in penalties, which may include an increased licence fee, an administrative monetary penalty, or court action. The practical cost is usually larger than the fee you avoided. There is a second consequence that matters more: a licensed, microchipped dog that gets loose is far more likely to come home quickly, because both systems exist to connect a found dog with an owner.

Do I need to licence my dog if it has a microchip?

Yes. A microchip does not replace the licence in London, it just reduces the price of one. A microchipped and fixed dog pays the lowest tier at $33 rather than $39 or $63. This differs from some other Canadian cities that waive licensing entirely for microchipped dogs, so do not assume a rule you read about another municipality applies here. Register the microchip with the manufacturer database as well, since an unregistered chip helps nobody.

How do I renew a London dog licence?

Renewals go through either the London Animal Care Centre at 121 Pine Valley Boulevard or the City Clerk office at 300 Dufferin Avenue, which handles renewals only. The LACC offers phone appointments, in-person service, and online registration. Because licences expire December 31 across the board, renewal season is the start of the calendar year for every dog owner in the city at once. Set a January reminder and keep proof of your rabies vaccination handy.