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

# Elkford dog licences: fees and how to get one

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

**Short answer:** In Elkford, the District issues dog and cat licence tags. Every dog or cat over three months old needs a tag each calendar year. The fee is $20 for a sterilized animal and $50 for one that is not. Buy it at the District office.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Elkford, https://www.elkford.ca)  
**Cost:** Sterilized dog or cat $20 a year; not sterilized $50. Late fee $20 after February 28. Duplicate licence $5. Licence transfer $20. Dangerous dog licence $100. Kennel licence $100. Fees exclude applicable taxes. No seniors or early-payment discount is listed.  
**How long:** A tag is valid only for the calendar year it is issued (January 1 to December 31). The fee is due by the last day of February.  
**Where:**
- In person: Municipal Hall (buy the tag here), 744 Fording Drive, Elkford, BC V0B 1H0
- Phone: Municipal Hall, 250-865-4000
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement Officer, 250-865-4024

## Key facts

- **Licence required:** Yes. No person may own a dog or cat over three months old in Elkford without a licence tag for the current calendar year. The tag must be kept on the animal by a collar or other device.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.1, 4.3](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/)
  - Official wording: "No person shall own a Dog or Cat over the age of three months in the Municipality unless a valid and subsisting licence tag for the current calendar year has been obtained" … "shall affix, and keep affixed, the licence tag on the Dog or Cat by a collar or other suitable device"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Issued by:** The District of Elkford (the Municipality) issues licence tags; they are bought at the District office.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.2](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/)
  - Official wording: "Upon receipt of payment to the Municipality of the prescribed fee for a licence tag, the Municipality shall issue a licence tag for the current calendar year."
  - Source: [https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/67663/, Animals](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/67663/)
  - Official wording: "All dogs and cats must be licensed in the District of" … "the District office."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, spayed or neutered:** $20 a year for a sterilized (spayed or neutered) dog or cat. Written confirmation from a licensed veterinarian is required.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021, Schedule I, Schedule I, Pet Licensing](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/87372/)
  - Official wording: "Sterilized dog or cat licence fee $20 (Veterinarian confirmation required)"
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.4](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/)
  - Official wording: "the application shall be accompanied by written confirmation from a licensed veterinarian indicating that the Dog or Cat has been Sterilized"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, not spayed or neutered:** $50 a year for an unsterilized dog or cat.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021, Schedule I, Schedule I, Pet Licensing](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/87372/)
  - Official wording: "Unsterilized dog or cat licence fee $50"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other fees and discounts:** Late fee $20 (after February 28). Duplicate licence $5. Licence transfer $20. Dangerous dog licence $100. Kennel licence $100. No late fee for a dog acquired or turning three months old after March 1. No seniors or early-payment discount is listed.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021, Schedule I, Schedule I, Pet Licensing](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/87372/)
  - Official wording: "Late fee (after February 28) $20" … "Duplicate licence fee $5" … "Licence transfer fee $20" … "Dangerous dog licence fee $100" … "Kennel licence fee $100"
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.5, 4.6](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/)
  - Official wording: "Should the prescribed fee not be paid by the last day of February of any calendar year" … "If a Dog is acquired or reaches the age of three months after March 1st of any calendar year"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Renewal:** A tag is valid only for the calendar year it is issued (January 1 to December 31). The fee is due by the last day of February; the late fee applies after that.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.8, 4.5](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/)
  - Official wording: "A licence tag is only valid for the calendar year in which it is issued." … "Should the prescribed fee not be paid by the last day of February of any calendar year"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **How to get one:** Buy at the District office, 744 Fording Drive (250-865-4000).
  - Source: [https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/67663/, Animals](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/67663/)
  - Official wording: "or other unsightly items to accumulate is a bylaw January 1 to December 31 and can be purchased from Keeping our community safe, clean and healthy is violation. the District office. everyone's responsibility. Please contact us when Pets must be kept under control and are not you see violations or have concerns. We will do our"
  - Source: [Bylaws Enforcement, Questions?](https://www.elkford.ca/public-services/bylaws-enforcement)
  - Official wording: "Visit our office at 744 Fording Drive, call 250-865-4000 or email info@elkford.ca."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine, unlicensed dog:** The District's resident guide says failure to licence "will result in fines of $50 or more". Animal Responsibility Bylaw s. 11.3 sets a municipal ticket fine of $100 to $1,000; the exact ticket schedule is a scanned PDF that could not be read.
  - Source: [Resident Guide, Pets & Wildlife, Do I need a licence for my cat or dog](https://www.elkford.ca/tourism/resident-guide)
  - Official wording: "failure to comply with this bylaw will result in fines of $50 or more"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidation including Amendment Bylaws No. 896, 2024 and No. 947, 2026). Fees are set in Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021, Schedule I.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF), s. 1](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as the “District of Elkford Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021”."
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021, Schedule I](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/87372/)
  - Official wording: "PET LICENSING FEES AND CHARGES"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The District of Elkford issues pet licences under its [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021](<https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/>). No one may own a dog or cat over three months old in Elkford without a licence tag for the current calendar year, and the tag must be kept on the animal by a collar or other device. Fees are in Schedule I of the [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021](<https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/87372/>).

## Steps

1. Buy the tag at the District office, 744 Fording Drive (250-865-4000).
2. For the $20 rate, bring written confirmation from a licensed veterinarian that the animal is sterilized.
3. Put the tag on a collar or other device that stays on the animal.
4. Renew each year by the last day of February.

## Good to know

- The late fee is $20 after February 28. There is no late fee for a dog that is acquired, or turns three months old, after March 1.
- The same fees cover dogs and cats.
- The pages we read do not offer online licence sales. Call the District to confirm.
- For not licensing, the District's resident guide says fines of $50 or more. The bylaw sets a municipal ticket fine of $100 to $1,000, and the ticket schedule is a scanned document we could not read. Ask the Bylaw Enforcement Officer which amount applies.
- Pet limits, leash rules and dangerous dogs are in the related answers.

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF)](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021, Schedule I (PDF)](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/87372/)

## Related questions

- [Elkford dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/how-many-pets.md)
- [Elkford rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [Elkford bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog licence fees in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-licence.md)
- [Sparwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sparwood/dog-licence.md)
- [Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/dog-licence.md)
- [Fernie](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/dog-licence.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/dog-licence.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/dog-licence.md)
- [Invermere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/invermere/dog-licence.md)

## Sources

- [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 848, 2021 (consolidated, PDF)](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/89745/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 838, 2021, Schedule I (PDF)](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/87372/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Resident Guide, District of Elkford](https://www.elkford.ca/tourism/resident-guide) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws Enforcement, District of Elkford](https://www.elkford.ca/public-services/bylaws-enforcement) (read 2026-11-08)
- [https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/67663/](https://elkford.civicweb.net/document/67663/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 9 of 9 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Elkford. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/dog-licence/_