Pets in housing societies: what the AWBI and BMC rules say

The Animal Welfare Board of India's guidelines of 26 February 2015 say a housing society (RWA or AOA) cannot ban pet dogs, set size limits, stop pets using lifts, or charge pet owners special fees or fines ¹. Those guidelines are an advisory, not an Act or a gazetted rule ¹; Mumbai's municipal corporation repeated them in guidelines signed on 20 March 2025, adding that societies there may insist on the BMC dog licence ². For community (street) dogs, the binding Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 make the society responsible for agreeing feeding spots and times ³.

Banning pets: Not allowed, even by majority vote or by changing bye-laws (AWBI advisory, 2015)¹²
Lifts: Pets can't be barred from lifts or charged for using them; owners are asked to use an alternate lift if there is one¹²
Fees and fines: No special charges or fines on pet owners (AWBI advisory, 2015)¹
Leash and muzzle: Owners must leash pets in common areas; the society can't insist on muzzles¹
Licence (Mumbai): BMC's 2025 guidelines let societies insist on the BMC dog licence²
Community dogs: The RWA must arrange agreed feeding spots and times (ABC Rules 2023, rule 20)³

Which documents are law, and which are advice

Document	Issued by, date	Legal status	What it covers
Guidelines with respect to pet and street dogs, their care-givers, and RWAs and AOAs	Animal Welfare Board of India, 26 Feb 2015 ¹	An advisory; AWBI says it is issued under Section 9(k) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act ¹	Pets in societies (bans, lifts, parks, leash, poop, fines) and street dogs ¹
Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 193(E))	Central government, 10 Mar 2023 ³	Rules notified in the Gazette of India; binding ³	Street (community) animals, with rule 20 on feeding in RWA areas; rule 8 makes pet owners responsible for deworming, vaccination and sterilisation ³
Implementation of ABC Rules 2023: guidelines for local bodies, RWAs and AOAs	AWBI, 17 Jul 2025 ⁴	A guideline letter restating rule 20 ⁴	Feeding spots and times, and a register of community animals ⁴
BMC guidelines on pet and street dogs, feeders, RWAs and AOAs, and public institutions	Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department; signed by the Municipal Commissioner on 20 Mar 2025 ²	Municipal guidelines for Mumbai, issued in line with the AWBI 2015 guidelines and the ABC Rules ²	Pets in societies, pet owners, feeders and institutions ²
Advisory on feeding spots for stray dogs	AWBI, 3 Mar 2021 ⁵	An advisory letter to state governments and police ⁵	Asks authorities to identify feeding spots and implement the 2015 guidelines ⁵

What the AWBI guidelines say a society cannot do

Ban pet dogs, even if most residents want it or the bye-laws are changed. AWBI says a general body 'cannot adopt an illegality' even by a complete majority ¹.
Allow small dogs but not large ones, or use barking as the reason for a ban ¹.
Limit the number of pets. AWBI calls this an interference with the freedom to choose to live with companion animals ¹.
Stop pets from using lifts, or charge for it ¹.
Insist that dogs wear muzzles ¹.
Make poop rules or impose fines and special charges on pet owners where no central or state law requires owners to clean up. The society can request it ¹.
Pressure an owner into giving up a pet. AWBI says abandoning a pet violates the law and intimidation is an offence ¹.

What pet owners are asked to do

Leash your dog in all common areas ¹.
Clean up after your dog, or agree on pet corners and poop collection with the society ¹².
Try to keep your dog quiet, especially at night ¹.
Keep vaccinations up to date; AWBI also advises sterilisation ¹.
Use an alternate lift if there is more than one convenient working lift ¹.
Agree park and walking times with the society by consensus ¹.
In Mumbai: get the BMC dog licence and share the licence and vaccination details with your society; children under 18 shouldn't walk pets in public without an adult ².

Community (street) dogs in your society

Rule 20 of the ABC Rules 2023 makes the RWA, AOA or local body representative responsible for arranging the feeding of community animals living in the premises, with feeding spots agreed by both sides, away from children's play areas, entry and exit points and staircases, at times when children and senior citizens are least around ³.
Feeders must not litter or break the society's guidelines, and may help with vaccination and with catching dogs for sterilisation ³.
If the society and feeders can't agree, an Animal Welfare Committee decides the feeding spot. It includes the Chief Veterinary Officer's representative, the police, the district SPCA or state board, an animal birth control organisation, the local body's vet, the complainant and the RWA. Appeals go to the State Animal Welfare Board ³.
AWBI's July 2025 letter also asks societies to keep a register of community animals: estimated number, sterilisation status, rabies vaccination records and who feeds or cares for them ⁴.
AWBI's 2015 guidelines say street dogs can't be beaten, driven away or killed; they are sterilised, vaccinated and returned to their area ¹. The Supreme Court's judgment of 19 May 2026 upheld the removal of stray dogs from institutional premises such as schools, hospitals and railway stations, and asked state and central authorities to decide whether to extend that to other busy public places ⁶. AWBI's circular of July 2026 asks all authorities to follow the judgment, its standard operating procedures of 27 Nov 2025 and the ABC Rules ⁷.

Points to show your society (print this)

AWBI guidelines, 26 Feb 2015: an RWA or AOA 'cannot legally introduce any sort of ban' on keeping pet dogs, even with a majority ¹.
Same guidelines: no rules allowing 'small sized' dogs but not 'large sized' ones; barking is not a valid reason for a ban ¹.
Lifts: societies 'cannot disallow pets from the use of lifts; and no charges can be imposed' ¹. Owners use an alternate lift if one is conveniently available ¹.
Fines and special charges on pet owners are not allowed, 'because there is no mandate in law for the same' ¹.
Owners leash pets in common areas; societies cannot insist on muzzles ¹.
Mumbai: BMC's guidelines signed on 20 Mar 2025 say the same, and allow societies to insist on the BMC dog licence ².
Community dogs: under rule 20 of the ABC Rules 2023, the RWA arranges agreed feeding spots and times; disputes go to an Animal Welfare Committee ³.

If there is a disagreement

Put your request to the managing committee in writing, with copies of the AWBI 2015 guidelines and, in Mumbai, the BMC guidelines ¹².
Offer what the guidelines ask of owners: a leash in common areas, cleaning up, agreed walking times and up-to-date vaccination records ¹.
For a feeding-spot dispute, ask the local body's veterinary officer about the Animal Welfare Committee under rule 20(2) of the ABC Rules ³.
In Mumbai, BMC's guidelines give a helpline (9635839888) and the Veterinary Health Department's grievance website for pet licence and welfare issues ².
For a legal dispute, speak to a lawyer. This page explains what the documents say; it is not legal advice.

What 'advisory' means here

AWBI's 2015 guidelines describe themselves as an advisory ¹. Municipal bodies such as BMC have adopted them in their own guidelines ², but they are not an Act or a gazetted rule. The ABC Rules 2023 are binding; for pets they only make the owner responsible for deworming, vaccination and sterilisation (rule 8), and they say nothing about lifts or society bans ³. Your city's dog licence law is also binding where it applies ².

Not fully clear yet

Official sources disagree or leave gaps on these. Confirm before you rely on them.

The 2015 guidelines were issued when AWBI sat under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change ¹; AWBI now sits under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying ⁴. AWBI asked states to implement the 2015 guidelines again in 2021 ⁵, and we found no newer AWBI guideline on pets in societies replacing them.
Many websites say 'the Supreme Court says' societies can't ban pets. We found no Supreme Court judgment saying this among the sources we checked. If your society relies on a court order either way, ask a lawyer to read it.
The 2015 AWBI text speaks of pet dogs ¹; BMC's 2025 guidelines extend the no-ban rule to dogs and cats ². Outside Mumbai, whether the same applies to cats is not stated.
The Supreme Court's 19 May 2026 judgment leaves it to state and central authorities to decide whether to extend stray-dog removal beyond institutional premises ⁶. Check whether your state or city has issued an order covering residential complexes.

Last checked 4 Oct 2026. Facts checked against the official sources below by Thapki. Written with AI help from the sources below and checked against them line by line; the Thapki team reads and approves each page before it goes live.

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Sources

Guidelines with respect to pet and street dogs, and their care-givers, and for Residents' Welfare Associations and Apartment Owners Associations (26 Feb 2015; scanned PDF) · Animal Welfare Board of India · seen 4 Oct 2026
Guidelines with respect to pet and street dogs, community animal feeders, RWAs and AOAs, and public institutions (signed 13 Dec 2024 to 20 Mar 2025) · Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department · seen 4 Oct 2026
Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 193(E), 10 Mar 2023), Gazette copy · Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (copy on AWBI website) · seen 4 Oct 2026
Implementation of ABC Rules, 2023: guidelines for local bodies, RWAs and AOAs (No. AC-02003/4/2024-AWBI, 17 Jul 2025; scanned PDF) · Animal Welfare Board of India · seen 4 Oct 2026
Advisory to identify feeding spots for stray dogs and implement the AWBI revised guidelines on pet and street dogs (3 Mar 2021) · Animal Welfare Board of India · seen 4 Oct 2026
In Re: 'City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price', Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 5 of 2025, judgment of 19 May 2026 (2026 INSC 506) · Supreme Court of India · seen 4 Oct 2026
Circular on strict compliance with the Supreme Court's directions, AWBI SOPs of 27 Nov 2025 and the ABC Rules 2023 (No. AC-02017/22/2025-AWBI) · Animal Welfare Board of India · seen 4 Oct 2026