Shurugwi Town Council (Dog Licensing and Control) By-laws, 2025
Shurugwi dog licences cost US$50 a year, and a dog at large costs its owner US$20 if vaccinated, US$100 if not, US$150 if it bites, and US$250 if it bites while diseased.
These by-laws require dogs in the Shurugwi Town Council area to be licensed and set out how the council handles strays and nuisance animals. They cover licence applications, the register, the prohibition on keeping a nuisance dog, impounding, sale and destruction, inspection and enforcement, the council's exemption from liability for loss of a dog, and a cap on the number of dogs kept at any premises.
The First Schedule sets out what may be done: a dog at large may be impounded or shot whether or not vaccinated; where it has bitten someone the owner must pay the health bills and compensation set by the court; and a nuisance dog not at large may also be impounded or shot.
Fees are US$10 to apply, US$50 for the licence for a dog or a bitch, US$5 to replace a badge and US$20 per dog to apply to keep more than the permitted number.
Penalties are graded by risk: US$250 where a dog at large with a contagious disease bites someone, US$200 for a dog at large suffering from a contagious disease, US$150 where an unvaccinated dog at large bites, US$120 for a ferocious unmuzzled dog at large, US$100 for an unvaccinated dog at large, US$80 for a vaccinated dog at large that bites and for keeping a dog without a licence, US$50 for a bitch at large on heat, US$20 for a vaccinated dog at large and per dog kept beyond the threshold, and US$10 for dog nuisance. An offence continuing beyond 30 days attracts the penalty for each day it continues, and an unpaid liability after 90 days carries up to level 4 or two years' imprisonment.
What changed
- Dog licences cost US$50 with a US$10 application fee; keeping extra dogs costs US$20 per dog
- A dog at large may be impounded or shot, and its owner pays medical bills and court-set compensation if it bites
- Penalties graded from US$20 for a vaccinated dog at large to US$250 where a diseased dog bites
- Keeping an unlicensed dog costs US$80
- Offences continuing beyond 30 days attract a daily penalty, and unpaid liabilities after 90 days risk two years' imprisonment
Who this affects
- Dog owners in Shurugwi
- People bitten by dogs at large
- Council and police enforcement officers
- Veterinary and health officials
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.