UK dog laws: what every owner needs to know

When your dog is in a public place, it must wear a collar with your name and address on it, or on a tag attached to it. That's the Control of Dogs Order 1992, and it applies even if your dog is microchipped. Working dogs, guide dogs and a few others are exempt, and a dog without a tag can be picked up and treated as a stray. Read UK dog tag law explained.

Dogs must be microchipped and registered by the time they're 8 weeks old, and you must keep the details up to date, for example when you move house or change your number. You can be fined up to £500 if your dog isn't microchipped. See how to update your pet's microchip details.

It's against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere, including in your own home. According to GOV.UK, a dog counts as dangerously out of control if it injures someone or makes someone worried that it might, and a court can also decide it is if it attacks someone's animal.

In England and Wales, you can get an unlimited fine, up to 6 months in prison, or both. If your dog injures someone, you can be sent to prison for up to 5 years, or up to 14 years if it kills someone. Your dog may also be destroyed. Some types of dog are banned, and XL Bully dogs are banned in England and Wales.

No single law says dogs must always be on a lead, but there are places they must be. Councils can name roads where dogs must be kept on a lead, under the Road Traffic Act 1988.

In England and Wales, councils can also make public spaces protection orders for parks and other public areas. These can mean keeping your dog on a lead, putting it on a lead when an officer asks, keeping it out of certain places, limiting how many dogs you walk, and clearing up after it. Councils must let people know where they apply, for example with signs in a park. Ignoring one can mean a £100 fixed penalty, or up to £1,000 if it goes to court.

In England and Wales, it's an offence if your dog attacks or worries livestock on farmland, or on a road or path. Worrying includes chasing livestock, and being in a field with sheep when your dog isn't on a lead or under close control. The law was strengthened in March 2026, so keep your dog on a lead around farm animals. Scotland has its own law on livestock worrying. See walking your dog in the countryside.

In England and Wales, anyone who finds a stray dog must return it to its owner or take it to the council, and the council only has to keep a stray for seven days. See how to get your dog back from the dog warden, and what to do if you've found a dog.

You must stop. If you can't give your details to the dog's owner at the scene, you must report it to the police as soon as you reasonably can, and within 24 hours. The same rule covers horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, donkeys and mules, but not cats. See what to do if you hit a dog or cat.

Under the Pet Abduction Act 2024, stealing a pet in England or Northern Ireland can lead to up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. Our guide to protecting your dog from theft covers what to do if it happens.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, you must take reasonable steps to meet your dog's needs: a suitable place to live, a suitable diet, being able to behave normally, being housed with or apart from other animals as it needs, and protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease. That's the law in England and Wales, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own animal welfare laws.

• You don't need a dog licence in England, Scotland or Wales, but most dogs in Northern Ireland need one. See dog licences in the UK.
• In England, puppies under six months old can only be sold by the breeder who bred them, or rehomed by a rescue centre. That's Lucy's Law, covered in our new puppy checklist.
• Taking your dog from Great Britain to the EU or Northern Ireland needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an animal health certificate. See taking your dog or cat abroad.
• Got a cat too? See UK cat laws.