---
title: "Alert Bay dog licences: fees and how to get one"
question: "How do I get a dog licence in Alert Bay, and what does it cost?"
place: Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/alert-bay
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Alert Bay
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/dog-licence/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/dog-licence.json"
---

# Alert Bay dog licences: fees and how to get one

**Question:** How do I get a dog licence in Alert Bay, and what does it cost?

**Short answer:** In Alert Bay, the Village issues dog licences, and every dog four months or older needs one. The fee is $10 a year for a spayed or neutered dog and $50 for one that is not. A licence expires on December 31.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Alert Bay, https://www.alertbay.ca)  
**Cost:** $10 a year spayed or neutered; $50 a year not spayed or neutered. Replacement tag $2.50. Kennel fee $100. The Village's fines for an unlicensed dog could not be read.  
**How long:** Every licence expires on December 31 of the year it is issued.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 15 Maple Road, Alert Bay, BC V0N 1A0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 250-974-5213
- Phone: Animal Control, 250-974-7936 (Phone number on the Village contact page; the Bylaws page lists 250-974-4188.)

## Key facts

- **Licence required:** Yes. A resident may not keep a dog in the Village unless a licence has been issued. Licence fees apply to dogs four months of age and over.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 737, s. 5.04](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/3019/Bylaw%20737-Animal%20control%20bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "unless a licence under this Bylaw has first been issued."
  - Source: [New Residents Information Package, September 10, 2026, Animal Control (New Residents Package)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436b7bae4b0d50b0eede18b/t/6aa99af593ac2347680f4159/1789500152429/New+Residents+Package+September+10%2C+2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "License fees for dogs four (4) months of age and over are collected each year by the Village of"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Issued by:** The Village of Alert Bay (its dog pound and animal control service also serve the ’Namgis First Nation and Whe-la-la-u).
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 737, s. 5.02](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/3019/Bylaw%20737-Animal%20control%20bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The owner of every dog shall make application for a license and shall pay the required license"
  - Source: [https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/2340/OCP%202014.pdf, OCP s. 6.6](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/2340/OCP%202014.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Dog licenses are issued by the Village to offset"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, spayed or neutered:** $10 a year for a spayed female or neutered male dog.
  - Source: [New Residents Information Package, September 10, 2026, Animal Control (New Residents Package)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436b7bae4b0d50b0eede18b/t/6aa99af593ac2347680f4159/1789500152429/New+Residents+Package+September+10%2C+2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "$10.00 for each spayed female dog and neutered male dog."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, not spayed or neutered:** $50 a year for an unspayed female or unneutered male dog.
  - Source: [New Residents Information Package, September 10, 2026, Animal Control (New Residents Package)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436b7bae4b0d50b0eede18b/t/6aa99af593ac2347680f4159/1789500152429/New+Residents+Package+September+10%2C+2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "$50.00 for each unspayed female dog and unneutered male dog."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other fees and discounts:** Replacement dog tag $2.50. Kennel fee $100.
  - Source: [New Residents Information Package, September 10, 2026, Animal Control (New Residents Package)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436b7bae4b0d50b0eede18b/t/6aa99af593ac2347680f4159/1789500152429/New+Residents+Package+September+10%2C+2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Replacement dog tag $2.50." … "Kennel fee $100.00."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Renewal:** Every licence expires on December 31 of the year it is issued.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 737, s. 5.03](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/3019/Bylaw%20737-Animal%20control%20bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "shall expire on the thirty-first"
  - Source: [New Residents Information Package, September 10, 2026, Animal Control (New Residents Package)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436b7bae4b0d50b0eede18b/t/6aa99af593ac2347680f4159/1789500152429/New+Residents+Package+September+10%2C+2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "shall expire on the thirty-first (31st) of December each year."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **How to get one:** Apply to the Village of Alert Bay on the form the Village prescribes and pay the fee.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 737, s. 5.02](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/3019/Bylaw%20737-Animal%20control%20bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The owner of every dog shall make application for a license and shall pay the required license"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine, unlicensed dog:** Not confirmed. The Village's website does not state the fine for an unlicensed dog.
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw #737 requires the licence; the fee is set in the Village's Fees and Charges Bylaw (2024).
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 737, title](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/3019/Bylaw%20737-Animal%20control%20bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Animal Control Bylaw #737"
  - Source: [Bylaws and Regulations — Village of Alert Bay, Bylaws page, animal control](https://www.alertbay.ca/bylaws-and-regulations)
  - Official wording: "animal control 250-974-4188 See “Fees and Charges” for up to date rates."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Under the [Animal Control Bylaw 737](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/3019/Bylaw%20737-Animal%20control%20bylaw.pdf), no one may keep a dog in the Village unless a licence has been issued for it. The Village's New Residents Package says licence fees apply to dogs four months of age and over. The Village's dog pound and animal control service also serve the 'Namgis First Nation and Whe-la-la-u.

## Steps

1. Apply to the Village of Alert Bay on the form the Village prescribes, and pay the fee. The bylaw does not say whether this is done in person or online, so call the Village Office at 250-974-5213 or visit 15 Maple Road.
2. Put the tag on your dog.
3. Renew each year, because every licence expires on December 31.

## Good to know

- A replacement tag is $2.50 and a kennel fee is $100.
- No senior or early-payment discount was found.
- The bylaw says fees are set in the Village's current [Fees and Charges](https://www.alertbay.ca/fees-and-charges) bylaw. That document is a scanned image the handbook could not read, so ask the Village to confirm today's amounts.
- The fine for an unlicensed dog is not stated on the Village's website. Ask the Village Office.

## Related questions

- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Alert Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/how-many-pets.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog licence fees in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-licence.md)
- [Port McNeill](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-mcneill/dog-licence.md)
- [Port Hardy](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-hardy/dog-licence.md)
- [Sayward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/dog-licence.md)
- [Tahsis](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/dog-licence.md)
- [Gold River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/dog-licence.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/dog-licence.md)

## Sources

- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 737 (PDF), Village of Alert Bay](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/3019/Bylaw%20737-Animal%20control%20bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [New Residents Information Package, September 10, 2026 (PDF), Village of Alert Bay](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436b7bae4b0d50b0eede18b/t/6aa99af593ac2347680f4159/1789500152429/New+Residents+Package+September+10%2C+2026.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges, Village of Alert Bay](https://www.alertbay.ca/fees-and-charges) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Alert Bay](https://www.alertbay.ca/contact) (read 2026-11-08)
- [https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/2340/OCP%202014.pdf](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/2340/OCP%202014.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws and Regulations — Village of Alert Bay](https://www.alertbay.ca/bylaws-and-regulations) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 8 of 9 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Alert Bay. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/dog-licence/_