City of Toronto Issues Ban on Choke Chains

March 18, 2017 · Updated November 5, 2026

Updated November 2026: the collar ban this story reported did not last. Council voted on March 28 and 29, 2017 to repeal it, and By-law 419-2017 deleted section 349-8.1 of Chapter 349 on April 28, 2017; the current Chapter 349 marks that section “Reserved.” Choke collars, choke chains and prong collars are not banned in Toronto today, with one rule that survived: none of them may form part of a tether. The extreme-weather, tethering and leash rules reported below are still in force (checked against the Chapter 349 consolidation of September 1, 2026). The story is kept as it ran, with a note where the law changed, and the rules as they stand today are at the end. For choosing a collar, see Collars, tags and microchips: what a Toronto dog should wear.

New by-laws for Toronto dog owners came into effect March 1, 2017 with a few changes you need to know. They came in through By-law 102-2017, which amended the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals, “to establish new provisions with respect to the protection of persons and animals from dangerous dogs.”

Ban on choke collars, choke chains, pronged collars (repealed)

The first thing you need to know, so you can avoid getting a $240 fine, is the ban on the use of choke collars, choke chains, pronged collars or any similar device. The ban doesn't, however, include a martingale collar.

The City's reasoning was that these devices can injure a dog in the wrong hands, and that the amendments would protect dogs from harm and mistreatment, as well as the people who encounter them.

Note, 2026: this was section 349-8.1. It was repealed within weeks of taking effect (see the update at the top) and no longer applies.

Extreme weather warnings

In addition to the ban on certain collars, the amendment enforces fines for leaving your dog out in extreme weather. Hot or cold, if there's a weather warning in effect issued by either the City of Toronto's Medical Officer of Health or Environment Canada for weather in the City of Toronto, your dog should not be outside. The amendment states:

No person shall allow an animal to remain outdoors during extreme weather unless the animal has access to an enclosure that will adequately protect the animal from the elements.

Tethering dogs

There are also amendments to the laws around tethering your dogs:

No person shall keep an animal tethered where a choke collar, choke chain, pronged collar or any similar device forms part of the tether.
No person shall tether an animal unsupervised for longer than one hour.
The minimum length of rope to tether your dog outside on your property is 3 metres.

Safe leash length

New restrictions on safe leash length state that when walking your dog, your leash cannot be longer than 2 metres:

No person shall keep a dog off the premises of the owner other than on a leash which shall not exceed two metres in length, except in designated areas of a City park as permitted by Chapter 608, Parks.

You can read By-law 102-2017 on the City's site.

What applies today (checked November 2026)

From the Chapter 349 consolidation of September 1, 2026:

Choke collars, choke chains and prong collars: no general ban. Section 349-8.1 is “Reserved” (deleted by By-law 419-2017). They may not form part of a tether (section 349-8 D). The City's dog-ownership page says martingale collars are allowed when tethering.
Extreme weather: section 349-6 C is in force. “Extreme weather” means a cold warning, heat warning or other weather warning from the City's Medical Officer of Health or Environment Canada for weather in Toronto.
Tethers: at least three metres long (349-8 A); the dog must be able to move freely within its range and cannot be injured by it (349-8 B); the tether must keep the dog on the property (349-8 C); no more than one hour unsupervised (349-8 E).
Leash: no more than two metres off your own premises, except in designated areas of a City park (349-12.1 A). No one may have control of more than three dogs at a time without a commercial dog walker permit (349-12.1 B).
Licence tag: every dog in Toronto must be licensed and wear its tag.

Sources: City of Toronto, Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals (consolidated September 1, 2026); By-law 102-2017; By-law 419-2017; Responsible dog ownership.

Photo credit: Steve Baker, “Hmm, the grass is greener on the other side of the bridge.”