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

# Tahsis dog licences: fees and how to get one

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

**Short answer:** In Tahsis, every dog over four months old needs a Village of Tahsis licence, bought in person at the Village office. Under Bylaw 420 the fee is $5 a year for a spayed or neutered dog and $20 for one that is not. The licence expires December 31.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Tahsis, https://villageoftahsis.com)  
**Cost:** $5 for a spayed female or neutered male dog; $20 for an unspayed female or unneutered male dog (Schedule A of Bylaw 420, 1997). Replacement licence or tag $5. Kennel licence $50. The fee schedule is from the 1997 bylaw; a later fees bylaw was a scan that could not be read.  
**How long:** A licence and its tag expire on December 31 of the year they are issued.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village of Tahsis Municipal Office, 977 South Maquinna Dr., Tahsis, BC V0P 1X0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed statutory holidays))
- Phone: Municipal Office, (250) 934-6344

## Key facts

- **Licence required:** Yes. No one may keep a dog unless it has a valid licence. A "dog" is an animal of the canine species apparently over four months old.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, ss. 2, 3(1)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A person must not keep a dog unless a valid and subsisting licence has been issued for" … ""dog" means an animal of the canine species apparently over the age of four (4) months;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Issued by:** The Village of Tahsis, at the Village office. The clerk, collector, treasurer or Village office clerical staff are authorized to issue licences.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, ss. 3(2), 4(4)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "applying at the Village office." … "The clerk, collector, treasurer or village office clerical staff are authorized by council to issue licences under this bylaw."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, spayed or neutered:** $5 for a spayed female or neutered male dog.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, Schedule A](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Spayed Female Dog . $ 5.00" … "Neutered Male Dog 5.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee, not spayed or neutered:** $20 for an unspayed female or unneutered male dog.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, Schedule A](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Unspayed Female Dog 20.00" … "Unneutered Male Dog 20.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other fees and discounts:** Replacement licence or tag: $5. Kennel licence: $50. If a dog is spayed or neutered during the licence year and a veterinarian certifies it, the owner gets a refund of the difference.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, Schedule A; s. 5(4)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Replacement license or tag 5.00" … "Kennel 50.00" … "owner is entitled to a refund of the difference between the fee paid and the fee for a"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Renewal:** A licence and its tag expire on December 31 of the year they are issued.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, s. 4(1)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "expires on December 31 of the year in which it is issued;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **How to get one:** In person at the Village office, 977 South Maquinna Dr., open 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday (closed statutory holidays), by paying the prescribed fee. For the spayed or neutered fee, bring a veterinarian certificate or sign the Village declaration form.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, ss. 3(2), 5(1)-(2)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "by paying the prescribed fee and applying at the Village office." … "the applicant may sign a declaration in the form provided by the Village."
  - Source: [Bylaws and Policies, Municipal Office contact box](https://villageoftahsis.com/bylaws-policies/)
  - Official wording: "977 South Maquinna Dr. P.O. Box 219 Tahsis, BC V0P 1X0" … "Open 8:30 - 4:30 Monday - Friday. Closed Stat Holidays"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine, unlicensed dog:** Not confirmed. The ticket amount is in a scanned schedule of the Village's ticketing bylaw that could not be read.
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997 (amended by Bylaw No. 449, 1998, Bylaw No. 507, 2005 and Bylaw No. 602, 2018).
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, s. 1](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as the "Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997"."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Village of Tahsis licenses dogs under its [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf). No one may keep a dog unless it has a valid licence. The bylaw counts an animal of the canine species apparently over four months old as a dog. The clerk, collector, treasurer or Village office clerical staff issue licences.

## Steps

1. Go to the Village office at 977 South Maquinna Dr. and pay the fee.
2. For the $5 fee, bring a veterinarian's certificate showing the dog is spayed or neutered, or sign the Village's declaration form.
3. Put the tag on your dog.
4. Renew each year, because the licence expires December 31.

## Good to know

- If a dog is spayed or neutered during the licence year and a veterinarian certifies it, the owner gets a refund of the difference.
- The bylaw states no late fee and no senior or early-payment discount.
- More than two dogs needs a $50 kennel licence. See the pet limits answer.
- The ticket amount for an unlicensed dog is in a scanned schedule of the Village's ticketing bylaw that could not be read. Ask the Village office.
- The pages read mention no online or mail option. Ask the office at (250) 934-6344.

## What you'll need

- Veterinarian's certificate, or the Village's signed declaration form, for the lower fee

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997 (PDF)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

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

## Sources

- [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended (PDF), Village of Tahsis](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws and Policies, Village of Tahsis](https://villageoftahsis.com/bylaws-policies/) (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 Tahsis. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/dog-licence/_