Pet Rules When Buying an Ontario Condo: Read the Declaration, Rules and Status Certificate BEFORE You Waive
For pet owners, the most expensive mistake in a condo purchase is buried in a document nobody reads carefully
Can an Ontario condo ban pets, and where are the pet rules actually written?
Yes. According to the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO), a condo corporation’s governing documents can prohibit pets entirely, or limit the number, type, weight or breed you may keep. These provisions usually sit in the declaration or the rules — and the declaration carries the highest authority and is the hardest to change. The one firm exemption is service and support animals under Ontario’s Human Rights Code.
Source: Condominium Authority of Ontario (2025)
I regularly meet buyers who sign, waive their conditions, and only then discover the building doesn’t allow dogs — or that their Golden Retriever exceeds a weight cap. In an Ontario condo, pet rules aren’t whatever the concierge says — they’re written into legal documents, and those documents should be fully read before you waive a single condition.
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First, sort out the three documents: Declaration, By-laws, Rules
Every Ontario condo runs on three layers of governing documents with very different authority and difficulty to change.
Declaration: the CAO calls it the corporation’s “constitution” — registered on title at the Land Registry Office, it carries the highest authority. By-laws: govern how the corporation operates, and must be consistent with the Condominium Act and the declaration. Rules: day-to-day provisions a board can pass relatively easily.
The critical distinction, per the CAO: rules are held to a standard of “reasonableness” under the Condominium Act, but the declaration is not held to that same standard. A pet ban written into the declaration is, in practice, close to unbreakable.
Step 1: Read the Declaration — hardest to change, read it first
Translation: the “I’ll move in and campaign to change the rule later” plan almost never works — you won’t get 80% of your neighbours to sign. If the declaration says no pets before you buy, it means no pets.
Step 2: Read the Rules and By-laws — the details that catch people
• A cap on the number of pets or animals permitted (e.g., no more than two per unit)
• Limits on the weight, size or breed of animals (large dogs and specific breeds are frequently named)
• Designated areas where pets are allowed, plus leash requirements in common elements
• “No unreasonable disturbance” nuisance provisions — barking or odour can trigger these
Step 3: Review the Status Certificate — the core of buyer due diligence
Pet-owning buyers should always use that condition to the fullest: have your lawyer or agent answer plainly — does this building allow my specific pet? Does it clear the weight, breed and number limits? Confirm it, then sign the waiver.
🚨The most expensive mistake: waiving conditions before reading the documents. Once the status-certificate condition is waived, you lose the legal exit to walk away over pet rules — even if you later learn your dog isn’t allowed, your deposit and contractual obligations can be locked in.
💡 Remember one line: Declaration > By-laws > Rules — the higher up, the harder to change and the greater its authority. And all of it should be read BEFORE you waive conditions. Get the order wrong and the price can be a home you can’t move into with your pet.
The one firm exemption: service and support animals
A condo’s pet ban is not all-powerful. According to the CAO and Ontario’s Human Rights Code, service animals are not considered “pets” — they are working animals that assist people with disabilities, including guide dogs and animals assisting with mobility or psychiatric conditions.
This is a matter of “accommodation” under human-rights law, which can override a building’s no-pet provisions. That said, a request generally must be supported by appropriate medical or professional documentation — simply labelling an animal “emotional support” does not create an automatic exemption.
⚠️Don’t conflate an “emotional support animal” with a service animal. A human-rights accommodation must be backed by appropriate professional documentation, and a board is entitled to ask for it — a self-applied label does not create an automatic exemption.
Restrictions must be reasonable — and enforced consistently
A condo can restrict or even prohibit pets, but that power has limits. The core legal principle: rules must be reasonable, and a board has a statutory duty to enforce the governing documents reasonably and consistently.
One practical wrinkle — grandfathering: if a board long tolerated pets in breach of its documents, then tightens up, it may need to grandfather existing pets by written agreement. Crucially, that grandfathering is personal to the current owner, does not run with the unit, and ends when the animal dies. So don’t assume “the previous owner had a dog, so I can too.”
When a dispute arises: the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT)
The process has three stages: ①Negotiation → ②Mediation → ③Tribunal Decision (an online hearing).
Two things to note: only owners, mortgagees and condo corporations can file — tenants cannot file directly (they must go through the landlord or corporation); and the CAT generally deals with issues from the last two years, and cannot handle matters likely to cause injury, illness or damage.
ℹ️Practical tip: have your agent build the status-certificate review condition into the offer, with enough review days. Pet-owning buyers especially should not drop this condition just to look “more competitive.”
A pet-owning buyer’s must-read checklist
• The full declaration — search the pet / animal / dog provisions
• The current rules and by-laws — check number, weight, breed, leash and designated-area limits
• The status certificate — confirm the above are the currently in-force versions
• If you need a service/support animal, prepare supporting medical documentation and speak to the condo early
• Get your lawyer to confirm, in writing: “my specific pet is permitted in this building” — then waive the condition
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Ontario condo really ban pets completely?
Yes. According to the Condominium Authority of Ontario, a condo’s governing documents — especially the declaration — can prohibit pets entirely, or limit the number, weight, size and breed. A ban written into the declaration carries the highest authority and is almost impossible to overturn after you move in, because amending a declaration requires 80% owner consent (90% for certain matters).
Where exactly are pet rules written, and what should I read before buying?
Usually in the declaration or the rules. Before buying you should obtain the current declaration, by-laws and rules through the status certificate and review them together. The declaration is hardest to change and carries the most authority; rules are day-to-day provisions but must be “reasonable.” Pet owners must read them and have a lawyer confirm before waiving conditions.
The building bans pets, but I need a service animal — what now?
Under Ontario’s Human Rights Code, service animals are not considered pets and fall under the duty to accommodate, which can override a building’s no-pet provisions. However, you generally need to provide appropriate medical or professional documentation. Speak to the condo corporation before purchasing and have your materials ready — don’t assume a self-described need is automatically exempt.
A neighbour’s dog barks constantly, or I have a pet dispute with the board — who handles it?
Ontario has a dedicated Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) that hears disputes about pet/animal provisions in governing documents and nuisances such as noise and odour, through negotiation, then mediation, then an online tribunal decision. Note: only owners, mortgagees and condo corporations can file — tenants must go through the landlord — and it generally deals only with issues from the last two years.
The previous owner kept a dog in this no-pet building — can I too?
Not necessarily. Grandfathering of an existing pet usually requires a written agreement, is personal to that specific owner, does not run with the unit, and ends when the animal dies. So you can’t assume you can keep a pet just because the prior owner did — rely on the currently in-force rules in the status certificate and your own written confirmation.
Arthur Zhao
Real Estate Broker · FRI · ABR · SRS · PSA · MCNE · E-PRO · CLHMS & GUILD Elite · REAIS
VP & Branch Manager, Bay Street Group Inc.
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