Fernie dog licences: fees and how to get one
How do I get a dog licence in Fernie, and what does it cost?
Short answer
Every dog over four months old in the City of Fernie needs a City licence for the calendar year. Buy it at City Hall, 501-3rd Avenue. The fee is $15 for a neutered or spayed dog and $35 for one that is not.
Key facts
| Licence required | Yes. Every dog over four months old kept on a parcel needs a valid licence for the current calendar year, and the licence tag must be worn on the dog's collar or harness at all times.Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, s. 4.1, 4.4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingNo person shall keep or permit to be kept on a parcel a Dog over the age of four (4) months unless a valid and subsisting Dog Licence for the current calendar year a valid Dog Licence tag is displayed on the Dog |
|---|---|
| Issued by | The City of Fernie. Applications go to the City's Corporate Officer, and licences are sold at City Hall.Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, s. 4.3; Animal Responsibility, Licensing your Dog · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingEvery application for a Dog Licence shall be made to the Corporate Officer For sale at City Hall (501-3rd Avenue) |
| Fee, spayed or neutered | $15 a year for one neutered male or spayed female dog.Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, Schedule A · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingOne neutered male or spayed female dog; $15.00 |
| Fee, not spayed or neutered | $35 a year for one unneutered male or open female dog.Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, Schedule A · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingOne unneutered male or open female dog; $35.00 |
| Other fees and discounts | Replacement tag $1. Aggressive Dog licence $150, Vicious Dog licence $227, Dangerous Dog licence $567. Impoundment: $50 first, $75 second, $100 third and later, plus $10 a day board.Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, Schedule A · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingReplacement tag. $1.00 Aggressive Dog $150.00 Vicious Dog $227.00 Dangerous Dog $567.00 first impoundment: $50.00 second impoundment: $75.00 third and subsequent impoundments: $100.00 |
| Renewal | Every licence runs from January 1 to December 31 and expires on December 31.Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, s. 4.2; Animal Responsibility, Licensing your Dog · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingEvery Dog Licence issued under this Bylaw shall expire on the thirty-first day of December next following the date on which the licence was issued Valid from January 1 to December 31 each year |
| How to get one | Buy at City Hall, 501-3rd Avenue. The application needs the owner's name and address, where the dog is kept, and a description of each dog (name, sex, colouring, age, breed, spayed or neutered).Animal Responsibility, Licensing your Dog; Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, s. 4.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingVisit City Hall to purchase your Dog Licence. a full description of each Dog that must be licensed, including name, sex, |
| Fine, unlicensed dog | Municipal ticket $200 for an unlicensed dog over four months, and $200 for not having the licence tag on the dog.Sources differ: The City web page calls $50, $75 and $100 the "fine" for not having a licence. Those match the impoundment fees in Schedule A of the bylaw, not the ticket schedule. The ticket schedule (Bylaw 2041) sets $200. The ticket schedule heading says "Animal Control Bylaw No. 2436, 2021" but Schedule 1 of the same bylaw still lists "Animal Control Bylaw No. 2346, 2018" (repealed); the appendix sections match Bylaw 2436.Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2041, Appendix 7 of Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2041, s. 4.1 and 4.4; Animal Responsibility, Licensing your Dog · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingUnlicensed dog over four (4) months 4.1 $200.00 Failure to affix dog license tag 4.4 $200.00 The fine for not having a dog license is $50.00 for the first impoundment, $75.00 for the second and $100.00 for the third |
| Bylaw | Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, Title and Part 4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThis Bylaw may be cited as ANIMAL RESPONSIBILITY BYLAW NO. 2436, 2021 |
How it works
Under the Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021, no one may keep a dog over four months old in the City of Fernie without a valid licence for the current calendar year. The tag must be on the dog at all times.
Steps
- Go to City Hall, 501-3rd Avenue, to buy the licence.
- Give the owner's name and address, where the dog is kept, and a description of the dog, including whether it is spayed or neutered.
- Pay the fee ($15 or $35) and take the tag.
- Put the tag on the dog.
Good to know
- A municipal ticket for an unlicensed dog is $200, and so is a ticket for not having the tag on the dog. The City page calls $50, $75 and $100 a "fine"; those amounts match the bylaw's impoundment fees.
- Impoundment fees are $50 the first time, $75 the second and $100 the third and after, plus $10 a day for board. An impounded unlicensed dog also needs its licence fee paid.
- Lost tags are replaced on application to the Bylaw Enforcement Officer.
- The City's page names City Hall only. Ask City Hall whether you can pay online or by card.
What you'll need
- Owner's name and address, where the dog is kept, and a description of each dog (name, sex, colouring, age, breed, and whether spayed or neutered)
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Sparwood · Cranbrook · Elkford · Kimberley · Canal Flats · Creston
Sources
- Animal Responsibility, City of Fernie (read 2026-11-05)
- Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2436, 2021 (PDF), City of Fernie (read 2026-11-05)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2041 (PDF), City of Fernie (read 2026-11-05)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 9 of 9 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.