See the regulation in Riigi Teataja (EST)

REGULATION No 24 of TALLINN CITY COUNCIL of 18 April 2013

Regulations for keeping dogs and cats in Tallinn

The regulation is established on the basis of § 22 (1)36)² of the Local Government Organization Act.

§ 1. General provisions

(1) The regulations for keeping dogs and cats in Tallinn (hereinafter the regulations) establish the requirements for keeping dogs and cats on the administrative territory of Tallinn.
(2) The regulations are obligatory for fulfilment to all pet keepers. Pet keeper is a physical or legal person who owns or possesses a dog or a cat or who keeps the dog or cat upon agreement with the owner on the basis of the lease or other contractual relationship.
(3) In addition to these regulations dogs and cats should be kept by following the Animal Protection Act, Infectious Animal Disease Control Act, Regulation No 130 of the Government of the Republic of 16 April 2002 “Procedure for catching and keeping wandering animals, identification of their owner and perishing of wandering animals“, Regulation No 76 of the Minister of Agriculture of 24 July 2008 “Requirements for keeping pets“, property maintenance rules of the City of Tallinn and the requirements established with other legal acts of the state and Tallinn.

§ 2. Keeping of a dog or a cat

(1) A dog or a cat can be kept in the building and on the bound territory upon the permission of the owner of this territory or upon agreement of another justified person. The pet keeper should exclude the outlet of the dog or cat from the territory or the possibility of attacking other animals or people by them.
(2) The keeping of dogs or cats cannot violate the public order or welfare requirements. A dog or a cat should neither disturb nor endanger other animals or people and cause damage to them.
(3) The pet keeper as the legal person is obliged to appoint the person responsible for the welfare of a dog or a cat.
(4) The pet keeper is obliged to place the warning sign notifying of the existing dog on the entry of the territory belonging to him/her or in her/his possession and to all enclosures adjacent with street.

§ 3. Staying with a dog or a cat in the public place

(1) The pet keeper is obliged to follow the sanitary and hygiene requirements, including clear up the excrements of his/her dog or cat.
(2) A dog or a cat can be taken for a walk to the public place on-leash or in the carrier device which does not endanger its health and does not let it out if wanted. The safety of people and animals should be guaranteed when walking with a dog or a cat in the public place. The dog can be freed off-leash or carrier device in the public place only in the dog walking area.
(3) A dog or a cat should be on-leash and the dog should have the muzzle in the public vehicle. A dog or a cat can be carried in the public vehicle in the carrier device compliant with the requirements mentioned in subsection 2 of this section.
(4) The dog can be left with muzzle and in the way not letting it free attached with leash to the building for the reasonable time, when the pet keeper stays in that building, if neither public order, people, traffic nor health of the dog is endangered.
(5) The pet keeper is prohibited to:
1) enable a dog or a cat to contaminate the publicly used rooms of the building or territory at public use;
2) take a dog or a cat to the room of the public establishment or territory where the relevant prohibitory signs have been installed;
3) stay with a dog or a cat at the gathering of people or public event, except in the place meant for that purpose;
4) swim and wash a dog or a cat on the public beach, in the pond or fountain.
(6) The requirements of subsections 2 and 3 and subsection 5 clauses 2 and 3 of this section are not applied to the partially sighted dog and service dog with special training fulfilling the service task.

§ 4. Catching and keeping of wandering animal

(1) The wandering animal is an unmarked dog or cat whose owner could not be established or who stays outside the territory belonging to the pet keeper or in his/her use without responsible person.
(2) Tallinn City Environment Department organizes the catching of wandering animals from the public places according to the legal acts of the state.
(3) The caught dog or cat is kept in the shelter for 14 days from the publishing of the announcement on the website of the shelter. In the course of the mentioned period the pet keeper can reclaim the dog or cat, if he/she pays the catching and maintenance costs of the animal. Pursuant to the abovementioned period the dog or the cat is given over to the new owner or is executed.

§ 5. Marking and registration of a dog or a cat

(1) The dog or the cat kept in Tallinn should wear the microchip as the marking, placed by the veterinarian having the activity licence, and be registered in Tallinn Register of Pets.
(2) The pet keeper should let the veterinarian mark and register a dog or a cat within five days from the date the dog or the cat becomes three months old.
(3) At least three months old dog or cat should be marked and registered within five days from the date of its acquisition.
(4) The composition of data to be collected to Tallinn Register of Pets and the procedure for keeping the register is established by Tallinn City Government with the statutes of Tallinn Register of Pets.

§ 6. Supervision and liability

(1) Supervision over the fulfilment of the regulations is performed by Tallinn City Environment Department, Tallinn Municipal Police Department and governments of city districts according to their competence.
(2) The violation of the regulations is punished according to § 66³ of the Local Government Organization Act.

§ 7. Declaration of invalidity of the regulation

The Regulation No. 12 of Tallinn City Council of 10 February 2005 “Confirmation of the regulations for keeping dogs and cats in Tallinn“ is declared invalid.

§ 8. Entry into force and application of the regulation

(1) The regulation enters into force on 1 January 2014.
(2)The subsection 1 of section 5 is not applied as to the dogs that wear legible tattoo or registration number on the collar and have been entered to Tallinn Register of Pets before 1 August 2006.
(3) The subsection 1 of section 5 will enter into force as to marking and registration of cats on 1 January 2015.

Toomas Vitsut
Chairman of Tallinn City Council