Dog collar law UK: do dogs have to wear a collar and tag?

The rule comes from the Control of Dogs Order 1992. It says every dog “while in a highway or in a place of public resort shall wear a collar with the name and address of the owner inscribed on the collar or on a plate or badge attached to it.”

In plain English: when your dog is out in public, on a pavement, in a park or anywhere else the public can go, it needs your name and address on its collar or on a tag hanging from it. The Order only covers highways and places the public goes, so it doesn't ask for a collar indoors or in your own garden. A collar with your details stitched or printed on it counts too: see personalised dog collars.

Northern Ireland has the same collar rule, and most dogs there also need a dog licence.

It's one of several laws for dog owners. Our guide to UK dog laws has them all in one place.

• Your name. Your surname on its own is fine.
• Your address. Your house number and postcode is the shortest way to fit it on a small tag.
• A phone number isn't required by law, but it's the quickest way for someone to reach you.

The law doesn't ask for your dog's name, and it's your choice, but The Mayhew's welfare officers advise leaving it off, because a thief who knows it can call your dog and gain their trust. Our what to put on a dog tag page lays out the rest for you.

Microchipping and tags are two separate rules. All dogs in the UK must be microchipped and registered by the time they're 8 weeks old, and you must keep the microchip details up to date, for example when you move house. You can be fined up to £500 if your dog isn't microchipped: see dog microchipping law.

GOV.UK is clear that a microchipped dog “must still wear a collar and tag with your name and address when in a public place.” A microchip can only be read with a scanner, usually at a vet or council, while a tag can be read by anyone who finds your dog.

The Order doesn't apply to:

• Any pack of hounds
• Dogs being used for sporting purposes
• Dogs being used to catch or destroy vermin
• Dogs being used to drive or tend cattle or sheep
• Dogs being used on official duty by the armed forces, HM Revenue & Customs or the police
• Dogs being used in emergency rescue work
• Dogs registered with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

Not following the Order is an offence for the owner, or whoever is in charge of the dog, under the Animal Health Act 1981, with a fine of up to level 5 on the standard scale (section 75). In England and Wales that has meant a fine of any amount since 2015, when the old £5,000 cap was lifted. More importantly, a dog without a tag is much harder to get home quickly if it gets lost.

The rule is widely missed: in Battersea's 2026 survey of stray dogs collected by 50 councils, just 2.6% wore a collar and tag with the right details. The Order also lets the council's dog warden pick up a dog without a tag in a public place and treat it as a stray. Getting it back from the warden means paying a fee and the kennel costs.

The Order dates from 1992 and talks about a “collar”, so the safest way to meet it is a collar with your name and address on it, even if you clip the lead to a harness. A light collar worn just for the tag does the job, with the lead on the harness for walks. Our guide to harness or collar has more.

If your dog can't wear a collar for a medical reason, talk to your vet, and put a tag on the harness so your details are still there for anyone who finds your dog.

No. The Control of Dogs Order only covers dogs. But in England, cats must now be microchipped and registered by the time they're 20 weeks old, including cats that stay indoors. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, microchipping cats is optional. If your cat wears a collar, choose a quick-release one.

A QR pet tag lets anyone who finds your dog open its profile with their phone camera and contact you straight away. You can update the details any time, add medical notes and keep your phone number private if you want.

A QR code on its own doesn't show your name and address, so make sure they're on your dog's collar or on a tag as well. A QR code dog tag can go alongside an engraved collar or a small engraved tag, or carry them itself: a personalised PetTag has your surname, house number and postcode on the back, so it meets the Order on its own and your dog doesn't need a second, engraved tag.