10 rule pages
Pet rules in India, in plain English
Updated By Petym
India has no single pet law. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 sets the duty of care and the cruelty offences everywhere; the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 cover community dogs; the Animal Welfare Board of India advises housing societies; and each city corporation decides whether your dog needs a licence.
These pages bring each topic together in plain English: the rule quoted from the Act, the gazette, the court order or the corporation's own page, what it means for owners, what it means for anyone looking after a pet, and the date Petym checked it. They are general information, not legal advice.
All rule pages
- Pet businessesPet boarding and sitting licence Does pet sitting or home boarding need a licence in India? The breeding and pet shop rules, and what does not apply.
- HousingPets in housing societies What AWBI's guidelines say a society can and cannot do about pets, lifts and feeding.
- HousingPets in rented homes What the Model Tenancy Act says and does not say about pets, and what to put in writing.
- Public placesBanned dog breeds in India The March 2024 list of 'ferocious' breeds, what the courts did with it, and where it stands now.
- Public placesDog bite rules in India What to do straight after a bite, who is liable under BNS section 291, and what cities make owners pay.
- Public placesDog walking rules in public Leash, poop scooping, parks and fines: the rules in Delhi, Mumbai, Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad.
- Public placesFeeding community dogs Designated feeding spots, the ABC Rules, AWBI's guidance and the Supreme Court's 2025 and 2026 orders.
- RegistrationPet registration in India No national law: who requires a dog licence, city by city, and what to keep ready.
- TravelPet travel rules in India Train, flight, road and abroad: the rules for each in one place, with links to the full guides.
- Welfare lawAnimal cruelty law in India The PCA Act's duty of care, what section 11 makes an offence, BNS section 325, and how to report cruelty.
Which rule page do I need?
- You live in a flat or a gated society with a pet
- Pets in housing societiesDog walking rules in public
- You rent your home, or want to
- Pets in rented homes
- You need to register or license your dog
- Pet registration in IndiaDelhi's licence rulesMumbai's licence rules
- Neighbours argue about feeding street dogs
- Feeding community dogs
- A dog has bitten someone
- Dog bite rules
- You are thinking of a Pitbull or a Rottweiler
- Banned dog breeds in India
- You have seen an animal being hurt
- Animal cruelty law
- You want to sit or board pets for money
- Licences for pet boarding and sittingBecoming a Petym sitter
- You are travelling or moving with a pet
- Pet travel rulesMoving city with a pet
Each rule page opens with the answer, then quotes the source it rests on and gives the date it was read. Where the law is unsettled, as with breed bans and boarding kennels, the page says so instead of guessing.
Pet licence rules by city
Where do pet rules in India come from?
From five layers at once: Acts of Parliament, central rules made under them, Animal Welfare Board advisories, your city's municipal law, and court orders. The layer decides who enforces a rule and what happens if you break it.
At the top sits the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Section 3 puts a duty of care on every person in charge of an animal, and section 11 lists the cruelty offences, from beating and starving an animal to abandoning it or keeping a dog chained without exercise. The Act still carries its 1982 fines, which is why serious cases are also charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita: section 325 for killing or maiming an animal, section 291 for negligently failing to guard against a dangerous one.
Under the Act the centre has made rules. The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 govern sterilisation, vaccination and the feeding of community dogs, and also make a pet dog's owner responsible for its deworming, immunisation and sterilisation. The Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 and the Pet Shop Rules, 2018 cover breeders and shops.
The Animal Welfare Board of India, a statutory body set up under section 4 of the Act, issues advisories. Its guidelines of 26 February 2015 for housing societies are the best known. An advisory creates no new offence, but it tells associations how the Act already applies to them, and cities such as Mumbai and Noida have written the same points into their own rules.
Pet licences are municipal. Delhi registers dogs under section 399 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, Mumbai under sections 191A and 191B of the 1888 Act, and Hyderabad under the CURE Act, 2026. Last come the courts: the Supreme Court's orders on community dogs of 22 August 2025 and 19 May 2026, and the High Court orders of April 2024 on the centre's breed letter.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, sections 3 and 11 | Animal Welfare Board of India |
| Central rules | Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, rule 8(1) and rule 20 | Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site) |
| AWBI advisory | Guidelines for housing societies, 26 February 2015, issued under section 9(k) of the Act | Animal Welfare Board of India |
| Municipal law | Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, section 399: register your dog with the MCD | Municipal Corporation of Delhi |
| Court orders | Supreme Court, 19 May 2026: AWBI's SOP on community dogs upheld, High Courts to monitor | Supreme Court of India (LiveLaw's copy, 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 515) |
Which rule covers what, and who enforces it?
The rules an Indian pet owner meets most often, with the body behind each and how far it reaches.
| Who makes it | Where it applies | Petym's page | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duty of care and cruelty offences Animal Welfare Board of India | Parliament (PCA Act, 1960) | All of India, every animal | Animal cruelty law |
| No society ban on pet dogs Animal Welfare Board of India | AWBI advisory, 2015 | Housing societies and apartment owners' associations | Pets in housing societies |
| Feeding community dogs at agreed spots Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site) | Central rules (ABC Rules, 2023, rule 20) | All of India | Feeding community dogs |
| Dog licence or registration Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (AWBI's copy) | Each city corporation | Only cities with a scheme in force | Pet registration in India |
| Leash and pick-up rules Municipal Corporation Gurugram | City orders and bye-laws | City by city, for example Gurugram and Noida | Dog walking rules in public |
| Leashed dogs in public parks Animal Welfare Board of India | AWBI advisory, 2016 | Parks run by local bodies | Dog walking rules in public |
| Negligence with a dangerous dog National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs | Parliament (BNS, section 291) | All of India | Dog bite rules |
| Breed restrictions High Court of Delhi (order downloaded from the court's server, hosted by LiveLaw) | Centre's letter of 12 March 2024, set aside by two High Courts | No national ban in force | Banned dog breeds |
| Renting with a pet Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs | Your written rent agreement (the Model Tenancy Act is silent) | States that adopt the model law | Pets in rented homes |
| Selling or breeding pets Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site) | Central rules of 2017 and 2018, State Animal Welfare Boards | Breeders and pet shops | Pet boarding and sitting licences |
| Taking a pet out of India AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying | AQCS, Government of India | Every pet leaving India | Pet travel rules |
Where your city has its own pet rule as well as a national advisory, read both and follow the stricter of the two.
What should every dog owner in an Indian city have in order?
Most of it is paperwork you already have at the vet. Keep these up to date and you meet the rules in almost every city Petym covers.
- A current anti-rabies vaccination certificate from a registered vet: the one paper almost every city licence asks for Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- Your dog's deworming, immunisation and sterilisation decisions on record, which rule 8(1) of the ABC Rules, 2023 makes the owner's responsibility Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
- A dog licence or registration where your city requires one, renewed on time (many run for a year) Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (AWBI's copy)
- A leash for every common area of your society, which AWBI's 2015 guidelines ask of owners Animal Welfare Board of India
- Poo bags on every walk: Delhi's MCD makes owners scoop the poop, and Gurugram's 2026 order asks owners to carry a bag Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- Daily exercise for a dog kept chained or confined: neglecting it is an offence under section 11(1)(g) of the PCA Act Animal Welfare Board of India
- If you rent: a rent agreement that mentions the pet, and the landlord's NOC where your city's licence form asks for it, as Pune's does Pune Municipal Corporation
- A care sheet for whoever looks after your dog while you are away, since the Act treats the person in custody of an animal as its owner for that time Animal Welfare Board of India
What do people get wrong about pet law in India?
Much of what circulates in society WhatsApp groups is out of date or never was the law.
You may have read
A society can ban pets if most residents vote for it.
Myth
What the sources say
AWBI's 2015 guidelines say associations cannot ban pet dogs even by consensus or a majority, and cannot amend bye-laws to do so. Animal Welfare Board of India
You may have read
Pitbulls and Rottweilers are banned across India.
Myth
What the sources say
The centre's letter of 12 March 2024 was quashed by the Karnataka High Court on 10 April 2024 and set aside by the Delhi High Court on 16 April 2024. No fresh national notification was found. High Court of Delhi (order downloaded from the court's server, hosted by LiveLaw)
You may have read
There is a national pet licence.
Myth
What the sources say
No section of the PCA Act requires a pet to be registered. Registration is set by each city under its own municipal Act. Animal Welfare Board of India
You may have read
Feeding street dogs is allowed anywhere.
Myth
What the sources say
Rule 20 of the ABC Rules, 2023 provides for feeding at agreed spots, and the Supreme Court said on 22 August 2025 that feeding on the streets is not permitted. Supreme Court of India
You may have read
A landlord has to accept your pet.
Myth
What the sources say
No Indian law gives a tenant that right. The Model Tenancy Act, 2021 never mentions pets, so the written agreement decides. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
You may have read
The 2014 AWBI circular is the one to quote.
Myth
What the sources say
AWBI's 2015 guidelines withdraw the circulars of 1 and 20 February 2014. Quote the 26 February 2015 text. Animal Welfare Board of India
What should you do when something goes wrong?
Act on safety first, then on the rule. Each case below names the step the official source gives.
If A dog bites or scratches someone
Wash the wound at once with plenty of soap and running water, then see a doctor or an anti-rabies clinic the same day. Bites are a medical emergency. National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
If You need rabies advice by phone
The Health Ministry's rabies helpline is 15400, as AWBI's 2025 SOP notes. Animal Welfare Board of India
If Someone kills, poisons or maims an animal
Report it to the police: for an offence under BNS section 325 they must register an FIR, and you can give the information orally. Animal Welfare Board of India
If Your society blocks the lift or threatens a ban
Show the committee AWBI's 26 February 2015 guidelines, and in Mumbai the BMC's 2025 guidelines, which say the same. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department
If Residents cannot agree on a feeding spot
Under rule 20(2) of the ABC Rules an Animal Welfare Committee, including the Chief Veterinary Officer and police, fixes the spot, and its decision is final. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
If Crackers are tied to an animal at Diwali
It is punishable under the PCA Act; AWBI asks people to report it to the police or an animal welfare organisation. Animal Welfare Board of India
What do these rules mean for a pet sitter?
The law follows the animal, not the title deed: whoever has the pet in their care takes on the owner's duties for that time.
Section 2(f) of the PCA Act defines an owner to include "any other person for the time being in possession or custody of the animal". A sitter, a friend or a boarding host who has your dog for a week is bound by the same section 3 duty of care and the same section 11 offences as you are. That is why a written care plan matters: it records what the owner asked for.
No central licence exists for pet sitting in an owner's home. The Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 require breeders to register with the State Animal Welfare Board and define a boarding kennel operator as a kind of breeder; whether a boarding-only kennel must register is not settled by their text. State shops and establishments law can also apply: in Maharashtra, a business with fewer than ten workers files an online intimation.
Petym adds its own checks on top of the law. A sitter who hosts pets must show their housing society's permission for paid pet sitting, and every sitter completes pet first-aid training before the first booking and names a 24-hour vet within reach. The sitter walks your dog on a leash in common areas, picks up after it, and follows your city's rules on the walk as you would.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Duty of care | Section 3, PCA Act: every person in charge of an animal | Animal Welfare Board of India |
| Licence to sit in an owner's home | None at national level | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site) |
| Who registers breeders and shops | The State Animal Husbandry Department and State Animal Welfare Board, per AWBI's circular of 28 December 2023 | Animal Welfare Board of India |
| Small business in Maharashtra | Fewer than ten workers: an online intimation in Form F | Industries, Energy and Labour Department, Government of Maharashtra |
How have India's pet rules changed recently?
Most of the rules owners argue about today were written or changed in the last ten years, several of them between 2024 and 2026.
26 February 2015
AWBI issues its guidelines for housing societies, withdrawing the two circulars of February 2014. Animal Welfare Board of India
2023
The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 make the RWA or AOA responsible for arranging feeding spots for community animals. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
12 March 2024
The centre writes to states asking them to stop the import, breeding and sale of breeds it calls ferocious. Municipal Corporation Gurugram
10 and 16 April 2024
The Karnataka and Delhi High Courts quash and set aside that letter. High Court of Delhi (order downloaded from the court's server, hosted by LiveLaw)
1 July 2024
BNS section 291 replaces IPC section 289 for negligence with an animal. National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs
11 November 2024
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying advises states to make registration, sterilisation and vaccination records mandatory for pets. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (AWBI's copy)
22 August 2025
The Supreme Court orders dedicated feeding spaces in each ward and no feeding on the streets. Supreme Court of India
19 May 2026
The Supreme Court upholds AWBI's SOP and hands monitoring to the High Courts. Supreme Court of India (LiveLaw's copy, 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 515)
23 June 2026
Gurugram's corporation makes dog registration mandatory and requires a leash outside the home. Municipal Corporation Gurugram
Do I need a dog licence in my city?
In most of Petym's cities, yes. Bengaluru is the main exception: its licensing bye-laws were still a draft when checked.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying told states on 11 November 2024 that pet policies should include mandatory registration, but each corporation decides when and how. The forms differ, the renewal dates differ, and a licence does not move with you: when you change city, the new corporation issues its own. Open your city's licence page for the documents, the office and the official link.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi (MCD) | Mandatory: register your dog under section 399 of the DMC Act, 1957 | Municipal Corporation of Delhi |
| Mumbai (BMC) | Mandatory: BMC says keeping a dog without a licence is illegal | BMC Veterinary Health Department |
| Gurugram (MCG) | Mandatory under the office order of 23 June 2026 | Municipal Corporation Gurugram |
| Hyderabad | Mandatory for every dog aged six months or more, CURE Act 2026 | Government of Telangana (via GHMC) |
| Pune (PMC) | Mandatory: "PMC licence is mandatory to keep a dog at home" | Pune Municipal Corporation |
| Chennai (GCC) | Pet owners should obtain a pet licence from Greater Chennai Corporation | Greater Chennai Corporation |
| Kolkata (KMC) | Dogs are registered under section 521 of the KMC Act, 1980 | Government of West Bengal (Act text, PRS copy) |
| Ghaziabad | Required under the corporation's licence terms of 2019 | Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam |
| Noida | Mandatory under the Authority's pet policy, in force from 12 December 2022 | Noida Authority |
| Ahmedabad (AMC) | Registration is being enforced through AMC circulars of 2025 and 2026 | AMC, Cattle Nuisance Control Department |
| Bengaluru | Not mandatory yet: the draft bye-laws had not been notified on 17 October 2026 | Deccan Heraldnews report |
Questions owners ask
Do I need a licence for my dog in India?
- It depends on your city. India has no national pet registration law; each municipal corporation sets its own. Delhi, Mumbai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Noida require one, and Bengaluru had no licence in force when Petym checked in October 2026. Each city licence page quotes the corporation's own rule.
Can my housing society ban pets?
- Not under the Animal Welfare Board of India's guidelines of 26 February 2015. They say a society cannot ban pet dogs even by majority vote, cannot allow small dogs while barring large ones, and cannot stop pets using lifts or charge for it. Owners are asked to leash dogs in common areas and clean up after them.
Can a landlord refuse to rent to a pet owner in India?
- Yes. No Indian law gives tenants a right to keep a pet, and the Model Tenancy Act, 2021 never mentions pets. Your written rent agreement decides, so put the pet in it. AWBI's housing guidelines bind societies, not individual landlords.
Is any dog breed banned in India?
- No breed was clearly banned across India when Petym checked on 21 October 2026. The centre's letter of 12 March 2024 naming breeds such as the Pitbull Terrier and Rottweiler was quashed by the Karnataka High Court and set aside by the Delhi High Court in April 2024. Some cities still regulate named breeds, such as Gurugram's muzzle rule.
Is it legal to feed street dogs in India?
- Yes, at designated feeding spots. Rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 makes RWAs and local bodies arrange spots away from play areas and entrances, and the Supreme Court said on 22 August 2025 that stray dogs must not be fed on the streets. An Animal Welfare Committee settles disputes about where.
What happens if my dog bites someone in India?
- The person bitten should wash the wound with soap and running water and see a doctor the same day. An owner who negligently fails to guard against a dangerous dog can be charged under section 291 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and some cities, including Delhi and Noida, make the owner pay for treatment.
Do pet sitters need a licence in India?
- There is no central licence for pet sitting in the owner's home. Breeders must register under the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 and shops under the Pet Shop Rules, 2018. Whether a boarding-only kennel must register is unsettled, so ask your State Animal Welfare Board. State shops and establishments law may also apply.
What is the main animal welfare law in India?
- The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Section 3 makes everyone in charge of an animal take reasonable care of it, and section 11 lists cruelty offences such as beating, starving, confining or abandoning an animal. Killing or maiming an animal is a separate crime under section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Is this legal advice?
- No. Each page is general information that quotes the Act, rule, court order or official page it rests on, with the date Petym read it. Rules change, and a city can adopt a new bye-law at any time. For your own case, read the source and speak to a lawyer.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Keep exploring
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Animal Welfare Board of India: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as amended in 1982 (AWBI's copy) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site): Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023: G.S.R. 193(E), 10 March 2023 (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines on pet and street dogs, their care-givers, and residents' welfare and apartment owners' associations (26 February 2015) (opens in a new tab)
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (AWBI's copy): D.O. letter and advisories for control of dog population and reducing dog bite cases (11 November 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site): Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017: G.S.R. 496(E), 23 May 2017 (opens in a new tab)
- Industries, Energy and Labour Department, Government of Maharashtra: Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2018 (23 March 2018) (opens in a new tab)
Show all 32 sourcesShow fewer
- National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: text with the corresponding section table of the repealed IPC (opens in a new tab)
- Municipal Corporation of Delhi: Standard operating procedure for pet dog registration (opens in a new tab)
- Supreme Court of India (LiveLaw's copy, 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 515): Judgment of 19 May 2026 in Suo Motu W.P.(C) No. 5 of 2025, In Re: City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price (opens in a new tab)
- Municipal Corporation Gurugram: Office order on registration and control of pet dogs (23 June 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines for allowing pet dogs in public parks (15 Nov 2016; scanned, OCR'd) (opens in a new tab)
- High Court of Delhi (order downloaded from the court's server, hosted by LiveLaw): Sikander Singh Thakur v. Union of India, W.P.(C) 4374/2024 and connected matters, order of 16 April 2024 (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: The Model Tenancy Act, English text (web-archive copy of 28 June 2021; the live file now returns 404) (opens in a new tab)
- AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying: Export of pets (dogs and cats) (opens in a new tab)
- Municipal Corporation of Delhi: Terms and conditions for registration of pet dog (opens in a new tab)
- Pune Municipal Corporation: Dog licence application form (fields and licence terms) (opens in a new tab)
- Supreme Court of India: Order of 22 August 2025 in Suo Motu W.P.(C) No. 5 of 2025, In Re: City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price (opens in a new tab)
- National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: National guidelines on rabies prophylaxis (2015) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: SOP for prevention of dog bites and management of stray dogs in institutional premises (27 November 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Law Enforcement Handbook on Animal Welfare Laws (27 February 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department: Guidelines with respect to pet and street dogs, feeders, RWAs, AOAs and public institutions (signed 20 March 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Message for a compassionate and eco-friendly Deepavali (29 October 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Implementation of the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 and Pet Shop Rules, 2018 (28 December 2023) (opens in a new tab)
- BMC Veterinary Health Department: Guidelines for pet dog owners (opens in a new tab)
- Government of Telangana (via GHMC): Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Act, 2026, Telangana Act No. 26 of 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Pune Municipal Corporation: Dog License (H-11) service (opens in a new tab)
- Greater Chennai Corporation: Veterinary public health, pet licence (opens in a new tab)
- Government of West Bengal (Act text, PRS copy): Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, section 521 (opens in a new tab)
- Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam: Dog licence terms and conditions (opens in a new tab)
- Noida Authority: Press release on the Authority's policy for pet dogs (in Hindi; policy in force from 12 December 2022) (opens in a new tab)
- AMC, Cattle Nuisance Control Department: Circular No. 77/16 (13 Dec 2025), reminder 1 of 12 Jun 2026, action plan, item 5 on pet dog registration (in Gujarati) (opens in a new tab)
- Deccan Herald: Pet dogs may have to be registered under new Bengaluru policy (16 September 2026) (opens in a new tab)