Animal Control Bylaw Review

Consultation has concluded

Cat, lizard, dog, fish and cockatiel


View the Animal Bylaw Review Survey reporting back.


As part of a regular review process, the City is seeking input on a number of proposed new provisions to its Animal Control Bylaw, which is aimed at ensuring the safety of people and animals.

Existing animal control regulations are different for the rural and urban parts of Kingston. New provisions are now being considered to regulate:

  • Exotic pets
  • Per household pet limits
  • Standard of care requirements
  • Leash-length requirements

The survey below is part of a data collection process. Staff will be collecting resident input on various requirements before preparing a draft bylaw for consideration by Council. At this point, no draft has been prepared. The information collected as part of the survey will be presented at an online open house on Dec. 9.

Pet owners: Existing pet arrangements will likely be grandfathered in to any update to the Animal Control Bylaw.


Cat, lizard, dog, fish and cockatiel


View the Animal Bylaw Review Survey reporting back.


As part of a regular review process, the City is seeking input on a number of proposed new provisions to its Animal Control Bylaw, which is aimed at ensuring the safety of people and animals.

Existing animal control regulations are different for the rural and urban parts of Kingston. New provisions are now being considered to regulate:

  • Exotic pets
  • Per household pet limits
  • Standard of care requirements
  • Leash-length requirements

The survey below is part of a data collection process. Staff will be collecting resident input on various requirements before preparing a draft bylaw for consideration by Council. At this point, no draft has been prepared. The information collected as part of the survey will be presented at an online open house on Dec. 9.

Pet owners: Existing pet arrangements will likely be grandfathered in to any update to the Animal Control Bylaw.


Consultation has concluded

  • Aug. 6 | project update

    The Aug. 11, 2021 Arts, Recreation and Community Policies Committee meeting at which the final animal by-law report and draft by-law was to be presented has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict with other City Council/committee meetings taking place during that week.

    A special meeting of the Arts, Recreation and Community Policies Committee will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 at 6 p.m. The final report and draft by-law will be presented at that meeting. The report will be posted on the City of Kingston website at 3:30 p.m. the Friday the week before the meeting (Friday, Sept. 10, 2021).

  • July 23 | project update

    The draft animal by-law is now available for review. It can be found under the ‘Related Documents’ tab on this page. The by-law and staff report are scheduled to be presented to Arts, Recreation & Community Policies Committee at its meeting on August 11, 2021.

    Any comments or questions can be directed to Derek Ochej, Licensing & Enforcement Coordinator, at dochej@cityofkingston.ca.

  • June 18 | project update

    An information report is being presented at the June 24 meeting of the Arts, Recreation and Community Policies (ARCP) Committee, beginning at 6 p.m. The report will be posted on the City website on Friday June 18 at 3:30 p.m.

    The report will highlight the by-law changes that are being considered by staff, with the purpose of the report being to gather feedback from both the Committee and the public. Feedback received will be considered by staff as the final draft by-law is written. The draft by-law will be presented at the ARCP Committee meeting on Wednesday August 11, 2021. A copy of the draft by-law will be made available on this page two weeks in advance of the meeting.

    Residents can participate in the June 24 meeting three different ways:

    1. Send your comments via email to the Committee Clerk (jmccaugherty-jansman@cityofkingston.ca).
    2. Participate in the Zoom meeting. Register via Zoom and receive the meeting link.
    3. Participate by phone - call 613-546-4291 extension 1170 and leave a message with your name, phone number and the agenda item(s) you wish to speak to; staff will respond to your voicemail within 24 hours to provide you with the call-in number for the meeting. Phone registration closes 2 hours before the start of a meeting.

    If you just wish to follow along, all meetings will be live-streamed on the Kingston City Council YouTube channel.

  • March 12 | project update

    Staff will now be providing the final report and draft animal by-law at the June 24 Arts, Recreation and Community Policies Committee meeting. The timeline for the report has been extended in order to conduct additional stakeholder consultation on the potential updates to the by-law as detailed in our January 2021 update and to allow staff additional time to finalize the operational aspects of the by-law.

    If you would like your further information, have questions or would like to provide additional feedback please contact Derek Ochej at dochej@cityofkingston.ca.