Dog tax in Saxony-Anhalt 2027: What your dog costs in the largest cities

Print my Pet · 05.11.2026 · 4 min read·Updated 06.11.2026

In Saxony-Anhalt you pay between €60 in Bernburg and €120 in Halle (Saale) per year for your first dog. We are not aware of any changes in any of the 9 cities in our table for 2027.

Dog tax in Saxony-Anhalt: the cities in comparison

The table shows 9 cities, sorted alphabetically: Halle (Saale) and Magdeburg from our nationwide city table, plus Dessau-Roßlau, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Weißenfels, Merseburg, Wernigerode, Bernburg and Schönebeck. Halberstadt, Stendal and Bitterfeld-Wolfen are missing because we couldn't find any statutes there.

City	1. Dog	2. Dog	List dog	2027	Source
Bernburg (Saale)²	60 €	60 €	no separate sentence	no change known	bernburg.de
Dessau-Roßlau³	90 €	180 €	700 €	no change known	verwaltung.dessau-rosslau.de
Halle (Saale)	120 €	180 €	720 €	no change known	halle.de
Lutherstadt Wittenberg⁴	84 €	132 €	300 €	no change known	wittenberg.de
Magdeburg	114 €	114 €	no separate sentence	no change known	magdeburg.de
Merseburg⁵	72 €	114 €	600 €	no change known	merseburg.de
Schönebeck (Elbe)	80 €	100 €	no separate sentence	no change known	schoenebeck.de
Weißenfels⁶	96 €	120 €	636 €	no change known	weissenfels.de
Wernigerode	102 €	168 €	612 €	no change known	wernigerode.de

¹ About the scale: In all cities in this table, only the second dog costs more, the first stays at the lower rate. Many statutes have an additional level from the third dog onwards. ² Bernburg (Saale): Source is the statutes in the version of the 1st amendment dated December 19, 2017. ³ Dessau-Roßlau: Source is the city's dog tax page; the statutes mention the same amounts. ⁴ Lutherstadt Wittenberg: €300 applies to dogs that are suspected to be dangerous according to the dog law; After passing the companion dog test, the normal rate applies. The statute states €720 for dogs whose dangerousness has been determined following an incident. ⁵ Merseburg: €600 applies to dangerous dogs that were purchased or identified from January 1, 2012. ⁶ Weißenfels: €636 applies to the first dangerous dog, €792 for each additional dog. The statutes were last changed on December 11, 2025. All amounts per year. For the cities in our nationwide table, the status as of October 20th, 2026 applies; we retrieved the rest from the cities themselves on November 5th, 2026. “N/A” means: We did not find the sentence in the source.

What applies to dangerous dogs in Saxony-Anhalt

In Saxony-Anhalt, the law on precaution against the dangers posed by dogs (Dog Law) of January 23, 2009 applies. We were unable to access the text of the law for this article. With reference to the country's dog law and dog regulations, the Weißenfels dog tax statute lists the dogs that are suspected to be dangerous: pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and bull terriers including miniature bull terriers, each with crossbreeds. There are also dogs whose dangerousness is determined in individual cases after an incident.

In terms of tax, Wittenberg differentiates precisely between the two groups: €300 for dogs whose dangerousness is only suspected, and €720 for dogs that have been classified as dangerous after an incident. If you have passed the companion dog test, you will pay the normal rate for a presumptive dog in Wittenberg. Magdeburg, Bernburg and Schönebeck do not have their own rate for dangerous dogs, Dessau-Roßlau charges €700.

Shelter dogs and exemptions

In Saxony-Anhalt, the animal shelter rules are particularly different. Magdeburg frees dogs from the municipal animal shelter for three years. Dessau-Roßlau, Merseburg, Bernburg and Schönebeck exempt one year or twelve months, Weißenfels six months, each for dogs from the animal shelters named in the statute.

Halle (Saale) relies on a permanent reduction: If you take over one or more dogs from the city's animal shelter, the tax can be permanently reduced by up to 50 percent upon application. Wittenberg does not have an animal shelter exemption, but does exempt assistance dogs and certified rescue dogs.

This is how you calculate your dog tax

In the cities in the table, only the second dog costs more, the first stays the same. In Halle you pay €120 plus €180 for two dogs, so €300 per year. In Magdeburg each dog costs €114, in Bernburg each dog costs €60. In Dessau-Roßlau it is 90 € plus 180 €, a total of 270 €.

If the tax obligation begins during the year, you usually only pay for the remaining months. Our Dog tax calculator will help you calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the dog tax in Magdeburg 2027? Magdeburg charges €114 per dog per year, including for the second one, and does not have its own rate for listed dogs. We are not aware of any changes for 2027.

How much is the dog tax in Halle (Saale)? In Halle you pay €120 for the first and €180 for the second dog per year, and €720 for a dangerous dog.

Where is the dog tax in Saxony-Anhalt the lowest? In our table, Bernburg (Saale) is the cheapest at €60 per dog, followed by Merseburg at €72 for the first dog.

Is a shelter dog tax-free in Saxony-Anhalt? In Magdeburg three years, in Dessau-Roßlau, Merseburg, Bernburg and Schönebeck one year, in Weißenfels six months. Instead, Halle will permanently reduce the tax by up to half upon request.

The statutes of your community are always binding. This article is not tax advice.

Sources, accessed on 05.11.2026: Hundesteuersatzungen und Steuerseiten der Städte (Bernburg (Saale), Dessau-Roßlau, Halle (Saale), Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Magdeburg, Merseburg, Schönebeck (Elbe), Weißenfels, Wernigerode). Sachsen-Anhalt, Rassen laut Verweis auf das Hundegesetz: Hundesteuersatzung der Stadt Weißenfels. Für die Städte aus unserer bundesweiten Tabelle gelten die dort erfassten Beträge mit Stand 20.10.2026.