August 20, 2025
Our pets are key members of our families, which is why after 20 years, the City of Edmonton has passed a new Animal Care and Control Bylaw that better reflects the needs of Edmontonians, the pets they love and the animals that live in our city.
The new bylaw reflects feedback from Edmontonians, including pet and non pet owners, and other interested parties. The Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw renewal initiative spanned two years (2023 - 2024) of community consultation, including extensive public opinion research and engagement. It focused on what interested parties thought the bylaw needed and how it could be improved. This feedback was used to create a bylaw that reflects a safer environment for all animals and the people who may interact with them.
Since 2020, the animal population has increased significantly in the city. The bylaw adds stricter regulations and higher fines for dog attacks and bites, as the City has seen a 15 per cent increase in dog attacks since the pandemic. This better aligns with the Dunbar Dog Bite Scale, which is considered to be the industry standard. Dogs identified as vicious may be required to complete training by a professional dog trainer. New rules will protect animals from harm and health-threatening situations, including leaving pets alone in dangerous situations such as hot cars, extreme cold or in unsafe transport.
Licensing fees have remained unchanged for the past five years and have only seen an overall $2 increase in nearly a decade. The bylaw will increase licensing fees by $1 per year over the next three years. Seniors and Edmontonians on income assistance will now receive a lower fee for all pets living in the home. Not-for-profit animal rescue organizations will have their licensing fees waived to support the community work of adoption-focused rescue organizations.
Edmonton is home to an estimated 70,000 feral cats, with 600 entering the Animal Care and Control Centre annually. To better manage the cat population, clear definitions and regulations have been introduced to support future program work. The bylaw includes definitions for Trap-Neuter-Return and Return-to-Field programs. Trap-Neuter-Return involves trapping feral cats in order to sterilize and vet them before returning them to their original location, while Return-to-Field is a shelter-based program that involves sterilizing and vetting unowned cats before returning them to their place of origin. The programs are supported by the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and Humane Canada.
“The new bylaw helps us address the changes we’re seeing in our city, like the rise in pet ownership, concerns for animal wellbeing, the growing interest in urban farming and how our communities coexist with animals safely,” said John Wilson, Director of Animal Care and Park Rangers, City of Edmonton. “We have worked with the community, organizations and experts to create an approach that prioritizes animal welfare, public safety and responsible pet ownership.”
While the changes have been approved by Council, they will not come into effect until May 19, 2026. This will allow time to complete all of the work necessary to ensure a smooth implementation of the new bylaw, including robust public education.
