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

# Gold River dog licences: fees and how to get one

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

**Short answer:** In Gold River, the Village issues dog licences. The owner of a dog three months or older needs a new licence each calendar year. Spayed or neutered dogs are free if licensed in January, then $10; other dogs are $20 in January, then $40.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Gold River, https://goldriver.ca)  
**Cost:** Spayed or neutered: no charge January 1 to 31, $10 after. Not spayed or neutered: $20 January 1 to 31, $40 after. Duplicate licence $10; replacement tag $10; kennel licence $75 a year. Licence fees are non-refundable.  
**How long:** A licence expires December 31 of the year it is issued.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village Hall, (250) 283-2202 (The Village's pages do not say where or how a licence is bought; call to ask.)

## Key facts

- **Licence required:** Yes. The owner of a dog three months of age or older must get a licence for the current calendar year and a new one each year after.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.2](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "An Owner of a Dog that is three months of age or older must:" … "obtain a licence for that Dog for the current calendar year"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Issued by:** The Village of Gold River (a dog licence is one 'issued by the municipality').
  - Source: [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 2.11](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "that has been paid for and that has been issued by the municipality"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, spayed or neutered:** No charge if bought January 1 to 31; $10 after January 31. A veterinarian's certificate is required (or a statutory declaration under the Animal Control Bylaw s. 3.7).
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022, Schedule H](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-734.1-2022-Fees-and-Charges-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Neutered Male Dog (Veterinarian’s Certificate Required)" … "No Charge" … "$10.00"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.7](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "executes a statutory declaration declaring that the Dog is neutered or spayed"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, not spayed or neutered:** $20 if bought January 1 to 31; $40 after January 31.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022, Schedule H](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-734.1-2022-Fees-and-Charges-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Spayed Female Dog (Veterinarian's Certificate Required) No Charge $10.00 Unneutered Male Dog $20.00 $40.00 Unspayed Female Dog $20.00 $40.00 All Year Kennel Licence $75.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other fees and discounts:** Duplicate licence $10; replacement dog tag $10; kennel licence $75 a year. Neuter or spay rebate of $20, only on a veterinarian's certificate and only if a licence was bought for an unneutered or unspayed dog in the same year. Licence fees are non-refundable.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022, Schedule H](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-734.1-2022-Fees-and-Charges-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Kennel Licence" … "Duplicate Licence" … "Neuter or Spay Rebate" … "Replacement Dog Tag"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.10](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "License fees are non-refundable."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Renewal:** A licence expires on December 31 of the licensing year, and a new one is needed each calendar year.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.3](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "expires on the 31st day of December of the licencing year"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **How to get one:** Not confirmed. The Village's pages do not say whether a licence is bought online, in person or by mail.
- **Fine, unlicensed dog:** Not confirmed. The Village's ticket bylaw is a scanned PDF that could not be read.
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022; fees in Schedule H of Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 734, 2021 (added by Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022).
  - Source: [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 1.1](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 15.1](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Annual licencing fees are set out in Schedule “H” of the Village of Gold River Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 734, 2021."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Under the Village's [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf), the owner of a dog three months of age or older must get a licence for the current calendar year, and a new one each year after. The Village of Gold River issues the licence.

## Steps

1. Get a veterinarian's certificate if your dog is spayed or neutered (a statutory declaration under section 3.7 of the bylaw is also accepted).
2. Contact Village Hall at (250) 283-2202 to find out where and how to apply. The bylaw says the fee is paid when you apply, but the Village's pages do not say whether this is done online, in person or by mail.
3. Buy the licence in January to get the lower fee.

## Good to know

- Fees are set in Schedule H of the [Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-734.1-2022-Fees-and-Charges-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf). The altered-dog amounts are the same for a spayed female.
- A $20 rebate is available if you licensed an unneutered or unspayed dog and then had it neutered or spayed in the same year, with a veterinarian's certificate.
- Keeping four or more dogs is treated as a kennel; see the pets limit answer.
- The ticket amount for an unlicensed dog is not readable in the Village's posted copy of its ticket bylaw. On conviction in Provincial Court, the bylaw sets a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $2,500.

## What you'll need

- Veterinarian's certificate showing the dog is spayed or neutered, for the lower fee

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 (PDF)](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022, Schedule H (PDF)](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-734.1-2022-Fees-and-Charges-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Gold River dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Gold River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/how-many-pets.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog licence fees in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-licence.md)
- [Tahsis](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/dog-licence.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/dog-licence.md)
- [Tofino](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/dog-licence.md)
- [Sayward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/dog-licence.md)
- [Cumberland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/dog-licence.md)
- [Courtenay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/dog-licence.md)

## Sources

- [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 (PDF), Village of Gold River](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022 (PDF), Village of Gold River](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-734.1-2022-Fees-and-Charges-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 9 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Gold River. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/dog-licence/_