City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet has approved a new requirement for any dog in a public place to wear a collar and tag displaying the owner's name, address or other contact details.
The measure was agreed by Cabinet on 2 September and will come into force on 1 October as part of an update to the city's Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). The change aims to help officers identify stray dogs and reunite them with their owners.
Why the new rule?
The council handles between 280 and 350 stray dogs each year, yet fewer than 5% have ID tags. During 2025/26, managing stray dogs cost the council approximately £120,000.
Wearing an ID collar and tag in a public place is already a legal requirement. However, including it in the PSPO will allow the council to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice for non-compliance rather than pursue a prosecution through the courts.
Penalties and exemptions
Dog owners who do not comply with the order may face an on-the-spot fine of £100. Persistent non-compliance could result in a court case. Assistance dogs are exempt from the requirement.
Public consultation results
A 12-week public consultation earlier this year showed strong support for the new measure, with more than 70% in favour of adding the collar and tag requirement.
Existing dog control measures will continue under the updated PSPO, which runs from 2026 to 2029. These include requirements to clear dog fouling immediately (supported by 95.4% of respondents), carry means to remove waste (90.1%), keep dogs on leads near main roads (89.4%), keep dogs on leads in cemeteries and within 100 metres of schools (both 88.7%), and ban dogs from children's play areas (84.8%).
A proposal to require dogs to wear leads across the whole of Northycote Farm rather than designated areas received mixed views during consultation. This measure will remain unchanged and be reviewed at the next PSPO update.
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for resident services, said the council was grateful to everyone who responded to the consultation. "The opinions showed a good level of support for the introduction of the new collar and tag requirement, as well as agreement with the continuation of existing measures," he said.
