The short answer
In Ottawa, both dogs and cats must be registered, and the registration renews every year. A sterilized pet six months or older is $22; an unsterilized one is $42. You can register online through My ServiceOttawa, by calling 311, or in person at a Client Service Centre. The numbered City tag has to be worn at all times, and it is what reunites you with your pet if it ever goes missing.
Do Cats Need to Be Registered in Ottawa?
Yes, and this is the part that catches new owners off guard. Plenty of cities register dogs only, but Ottawa registers both cats and dogs. The requirement comes from the City's Animal Care and Control By-law (No. 2003-077), and it applies whether your cat ever goes outside or not. There is no indoor-cat exemption.
The single exception is for owners who live on agricultural or rural-zoned land. If that is not you, and most Ottawa residents live on residential-zoned property, your cat needs to be registered the same way a dog does. So if you have just adopted a cat, registration is on your list too, not just for dog owners.
Who Needs to Register, and When
Every dog and every cat in Ottawa needs to be registered, with the rural-land cat exemption noted above. The fee schedule includes an “under six months” category, so pets are registered from a young age rather than waiting until adulthood. The City does not publish an explicit minimum age, so plan to register a newly adopted pet right away.
Registration renews annually. If you have just brought home an adult rescue, the registration is due now, not eventually. Keeping it current is what keeps the lost-pet benefit and the tag valid, so build the renewal into your yearly routine.
Ottawa Pet Registration Fees (2026)
The fees below took effect January 1, 2026, and the same schedule applies to both cats and dogs. The fee depends only on whether the pet is sterilized and how old it is. There is no microchip discount and no multi-year or senior rate.
- Spay/neuter saves $20: a sterilized pet is $22 versus $42 unsterilized, for pets six months and older.
- Replacement tags: the first replacement tag is free, and each additional replacement is $10.
- Service animals are registered free of charge.
Fees verified against ottawa.ca and Animal Care and Control By-law No. 2003-077 as of June 2026. Confirm the current rate on the City pet registration page before you pay.
How to Register Your Pet
Online (fastest): register or renew through My ServiceOttawa, the City's self-service portal, linked from the pet registration page.
By phone: call 311 and register over the phone.
In person: visit a City of Ottawa Client Service Centre.
You provide your contact details and your pet's information. If your pet has a microchip, you can declare the chip number on the application, though it is not required. You receive a numbered City tag that your pet must wear at all times.
Why It Actually Matters: Getting a Lost Pet Home
It is easy to read “mandatory registration” as a cash grab. The benefit attached to it is the reason to do it gladly.
Registration gives the City your contact information and ties it to your pet's numbered tag. If your pet ever gets out, that tag is how an officer or a neighbour finds your number and reunites you, rather than your pet sitting in the shelter while you search. The tag has to be worn at all times for exactly this reason.
For an adoption-minded city, the registration fee also helps fund the animal services system that takes in and rehomes the next stray, the same pipeline that put your adopted dog or cat on this site. A sterilized pet pays the lower $22 rate, so spaying or neutering and registering both point in the same humane direction.
What It Costs to Skip It
The real cost of skipping registration shows up if your pet is ever impounded. Impounded pets are held three days, not counting the intake day, holidays, or days the facility is closed, and you pay a daily redemption fee to get them back:
On top of redemption costs, fines for failing to register are set under Ontario's Provincial Offences Act, and the City does not publish a flat amount. Put next to a $22 registration, a multi-day impound bill makes the math obvious.
Adopting before you register?
Browse adoptable rescue dogs and cats across Ottawa, then sort out the registration in your first week home. Listings update regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register my cat in Ottawa?
Yes. Unlike many cities, Ottawa registers both cats and dogs, renewed every year. There is no exemption for indoor cats. The only cat exemption is for owners who live on agricultural or rural-zoned land. So if you have adopted a Ottawa cat and live in a residential neighbourhood, your cat needs to be registered just like a dog. The requirement comes from the City's Animal Care and Control By-law (No. 2003-077).
How much does it cost to register a pet in Ottawa in 2026?
As of January 1, 2026, the fees are: $22 for a pet under six months that is not sterilized; $22 for a pet six months or older that is sterilized; and $42 for a pet six months or older that is not sterilized. A dog whose owner was convicted of permitting it to bite or attack pays $104. Service animals are registered free of charge. The same fee schedule applies to both cats and dogs.
How do I register my pet in Ottawa?
Three ways. Online through My ServiceOttawa, the City's self-service portal; by phone by calling 311; or in person at a City Client Service Centre. You provide your contact details and your pet's information, and if your pet has a microchip you can declare the chip number on the application. You receive a numbered City tag that the pet must wear at all times.
What happens if my pet in Ottawa is not registered?
Fines for failing to register are set under Ontario's Provincial Offences Act, and the City does not publish a flat amount, so it is not a fixed ticket price. The bigger cost shows up if your pet is impounded. Impounded pets are held three days, and redemption is $55 per day for a dog and $43 per day for a cat. Registration is far cheaper than getting an unregistered pet back, and only a registered pet carries the lost-pet benefit.
Does registering my pet save money if it is spayed or neutered?
Yes. A sterilized pet six months or older is $22, while an unsterilized one is $42, so spaying or neutering saves $20 a year on registration. The fee depends only on sterilization and age. There is no microchip discount and no multi-year or senior rate. The City also runs a not-for-profit Spay/Neuter Clinic, which takes a $75 deposit per pet, if cost is what is holding you back.
Do I have to microchip my pet to register it in Ottawa?
No. A microchip is not mandatory in Ottawa. If your pet already has one, you can declare the chip number on the registration application, but the registration fee does not change either way. The fee depends only on whether the pet is sterilized and how old it is. What is required is the numbered City tag: a registered pet must wear its tag at all times so an officer can identify it and reunite you quickly if it gets lost.
All Ottawa Adoptable Dogs
Live listings of rescue dogs from Ottawa-area rescues.
All Ottawa Adoptable Cats
Live listings of rescue cats. Remember, Ottawa registers cats too.
Ottawa Adoption Resources
Guides for new and prospective Ottawa pet owners.