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Dog tax Essen 2026
What a dog costs in Essen per year: current rates, reductions and a calculator for several dogs and listed dogs.
📜 From the official city source🔄 Checked on 22 Oct 2026🔒 No sign-up
Your dog tax
Dog tax in Essen at a glance
- First dog
- €156
- Second dog
- €216
- Each further dog
- €252
- First listed dog
- €852
- Further listed dogs
- €852
- Calculation
- The rate depends on the number of dogs and applies to every dog in the household.
- Valid since
- 1 Jan 2026
- Reductions and exemptions
- Exemption for, among others, guide dogs for the blind, dogs of helpless people (disability markers B/aG/H), assistance, rescue and livestock guardian dogs; dogs from Tierheim Essen tax free for 36 months. Recipients of social benefits (SGB II/XII, Kinderzuschlag (child supplement), AsylbLG): first dog reduced to a quarter = €39. No reduction for listed dogs (dangerous dogs).
- Notes
- Tiered by number of dogs: with 2 dogs each dog costs €216, with 3+ dogs each costs €252 (the rate applies to all dogs in the household, not just the additional one). Listed dog (dangerous dog): €852 per dog. With an exemption under the LHundG NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia dog act) the standard rate can be applied for.
- Source
- Hundesteuersatzung der Stadt Essen (dog tax bylaw of the City of Essen) of 15 December 2025 (in force 1 January 2026) ↗
Official source, checked on 22 Oct 2026
How Essen compares
9 of 51cities with euro rates charge more than Essen for the first dog.
€131is the average for the first dog in the 50 largest German cities.
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Frequently asked questions
How much is the dog tax in Essen?
In Essen the first dog costs €156 a year. The second dog costs €216, each further dog €252. The rate by number of dogs applies to every dog in the household.
How much is the tax for listed dogs in Essen?
For a dangerous or listed dog, Essen charges €852 a year.
Is there a reduction in Essen?
Exemption for, among others, guide dogs for the blind, dogs of helpless people (disability markers B/aG/H), assistance, rescue and livestock guardian dogs; dogs from Tierheim Essen tax free for 36 months.
Sources and method
- 📚Hundesteuersatzung der Stadt Essen (dog tax bylaw of the City of Essen) of 15 December 2025 (in force 1 January 2026) Open source ↗
- 📚All values checked on 22 Oct 2026. We check the list every year at the turn of the year. Anything not verified is marked as unknown.
