Gold River dog licences: fees and how to get one
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.
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.Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingAn Owner of a Dog that is three months of age or older must: obtain a licence for that Dog for the current calendar year |
|---|---|
| Issued by | The Village of Gold River (a dog licence is one 'issued by the municipality').Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 2.11 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingthat has been paid for and that has been issued by the municipality |
| 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).Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022, Schedule H; Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.7 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingNeutered Male Dog (Veterinarian’s Certificate Required) No Charge $10.00 executes a statutory declaration declaring that the Dog is neutered or spayed |
| Fee, not spayed or neutered | $20 if bought January 1 to 31; $40 after January 31.Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022, Schedule H · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingSpayed 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 |
| 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.Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022, Schedule H; Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.10 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingKennel Licence Duplicate Licence Neuter or Spay Rebate Replacement Dog Tag License fees are non-refundable. |
| Renewal | A licence expires on December 31 of the licensing year, and a new one is needed each calendar year.Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 3.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingexpires on the 31st day of December of the licencing year |
| 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).Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 1.1; Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 15.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingAnimal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 Annual licencing fees are set out in Schedule “H” of the Village of Gold River Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 734, 2021. |
How it works
Under the Village's Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, 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
- 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).
- 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.
- 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. 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
The same question in other places
Tahsis · Campbell River · Tofino · Sayward · Cumberland · Courtenay
Sources
- Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 (PDF), Village of Gold River (read 2026-11-08)
- Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 734.1, 2022 (PDF), Village of Gold River (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. How answers are checked.