Read this page carefully should you wish to purchase an animal or have questions about the procedures and the list of animals accepted.
Access detailed information about animals in the regulations available here (French only).
Domestic animals permitted within the boundaries of the municipality of Chelsea include dogs, cats, fishes, small pet rodents (mice and rats), miniature rabbits, amphibians, and ferrets.
You can consult Légis Québec's Regulation respecting animals in captivity to find out the species and number of native amphibians and reptiles admitted to custody.
Anyone wishing to keep one or more agricultural animals within the municipality's boundaries must be located in the agricultural sector or in an authorized sector, in particular where these uses are recognized by the Municipality.
Any keeper or person in charge of agricultural animals who must have these animals cross the public roadway must ensure that it is done safely.
The following birds are also accepted:
Each house is permitted a maximum of 3 dogs, with the exception of farmers.
Licenses
All dogs must have a license available at a cost of $25 per year. Each license is valid from January 1 to December 31. Within 15 days of the dog’s adoption or move into the municipality, owners are required to obtain a license at the Animal protection service.
Licenses for guide dogs and farm dogs are free.
Lost or destroyed licenses and certificates can be replaced at a cost of $2.
Leash
Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times when they are outside the boundaries of your home. The length of the leash must not exceed 1.85 meters or 6 feet.
Nuisances
The facts, circumstances and actions below constitute examples of nuisances and offences:
Prohibited breeds
Staffordshire terrier, American pit-bull-terrier, American Stafford terrier Mastiff or Bull mastiff dogs are prohibited in the municipality's territory. Crossed dogs from one of these breeds are also prohibited.
An exception to keep a dog from the listed breeds above may apply if
Dangerous dogs
Any dangerous dog is a nuisance. A dog is considered dangerous when it causes an injury to others requiring medical intervention (wound, fracture, internal injury, etc.) and this attack was carried out without prior provocation by the individual.
Exotic animals are permitted with the exception of:
The custody of a maximum of two horses or two alpacas is permitted under the following conditions:
In addition, manure storage must be on a concrete slab and protected from weather conditions to prevent leachate runoff into the environment. Also, a liquid accumulation device must be part of the concrete slab. In order to keep manure on the lot, 1.2 hectares of pasture or crop area per animal is required. Failing this, a land application agreement with a farmer must be submitted to the Municipality.
The grazing or exercise area must be located at least 15 meters from any watercourse or lake.
Tree cutting is not permitted for the purpose of providing a grazing or exercise area for animals or for the purpose of providing for the expansion of an existing area.
If you have any questions about keeping laying hens, please contact us at urbanisme@chelsea.ca.
The following mammals and birds are also accepted:
This page was last updated on March 16, 2023
Information
Public Works and Infrastructure Department