Bylaw 131-2026, in force since April 17, 2026, replaces Ormstown's old pet rules with a single, behavior-based framework: lifetime licensing, a 90-day grace period, legal backyard chickens, and a strict three-tier process for dogs declared dangerous.
Ormstown's council gave notice of this bylaw on January 19, 2026, and adopted it April 13, citing both the province's 2020 dangerous-dog regulations and the need to align with the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent's harmonized public-safety bylaw. It replaces two earlier municipal bylaws (130-2020 and 130-2022) outright.
Households may keep up to 4 cats and up to 2 dogs within the urban perimeter (4 dogs outside it), with a hard ceiling of 6 animals total per household, not counting aquarium fish. Puppies can stay with their mother past that limit for up to 6 months without counting against the cap.
For the first time, the bylaw explicitly permits backyard chickens in the urban zone: one coop per lot, maximum 5 hens, no roosters, side or rear yard only, and no resulting odor, noise, or nuisance beyond the property line. A single rabbit can also be kept in an accessory hutch under the same no-nuisance condition.
Kennels, catteries, and any organized breeding or boarding operation remain banned in the urban perimeter unless a specific zoning exception applies.
Any dog or cat 6 months or older that's habitually kept in Ormstown needs a license, applied for within 15 days of acquiring the animal, moving to town, or the pet turning 6 months old. Unlike the old system, this license doesn't expire — it's valid for the animal's lifetime, though owners must report changes (address, sale, death, disappearance) within 15 days. Animals need either a municipal tag worn outside the home or a microchip. Guide and service dogs are licensed free.
Residents with pets already in the household get a 90-day window from April 17 to get licensed, microchipped, and (if applicable) provide sterilization documentation before enforcement kicks in.
Leashes outside the home are capped at 1.85 metres (about 6 feet), and dogs 20 kg or heavier also need a harness attached to the leash. Choke, prong, and shock collars are banned outright in public, except under professional or veterinary guidance. Tethering a dog outside is capped at 3 consecutive hours. Owners must pick up after their pets immediately on any public or other private property — forgetting a bag is treated as evidence of non-compliance, not an excuse.
If a dog bites, attacks, or tries to attack a person or another animal without killing it, the owner has 24 hours to report it, disclose the dog's location, muzzle it outside the home, and comply with any ordered behavioral evaluation — this is the "at-risk" tier.
A dog can then be formally evaluated and classified "potentially dangerous," which comes with a special license: the owner must be an adult with a clean record (no relevant convictions in 5 years), the dog must be sterilized, microchipped, and vaccinated, and outside the home it must wear a basket muzzle on a leash no longer than 1.25 metres, under the control of an adult. The property needs a posted warning sign and secure fencing, and the dog cannot be left alone with a child 10 or younger.
A dog formally declared "dangerous" loses its license immediately, and the bylaw requires the owner to have it euthanized — within 48 hours by default — with written proof submitted within 72 hours. These dogs cannot be rehomed or adopted out, unlike at-risk or potentially-dangerous dogs, which can be transferred to a new owner who accepts the conditions.
The municipality can inspect properties (not private homes without consent), demand proof of licensing, and seize, isolate, or shelter non-compliant or stray animals. All costs of capture, boarding, veterinary care, and even disposal are billed to the owner separately from any fine. Fines for individuals run $300–$600 for a first offence, up to $1,200–$2,000 for repeat offences; for businesses, $500–$1,000 up to $2,500–$4,000. Each day a violation continues counts as a new offence.
If you have a dog or cat, check whether it's licensed and tagged or microchipped — you have until mid-July 2026 (90 days from April 17) to sort this out before enforcement applies. If you've been thinking about backyard hens, this is now explicitly allowed under specific conditions. And if your dog has ever bitten or shown aggression, the reporting clock (24 hours) and consequences are spelled out in detail for the first time — worth reading the full bylaw if that applies to you.