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

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

In Saxony you pay between €60 in Meißen and €150 in Leipzig per year for your first dog. We are not aware of any changes in any of the 8 cities in our table for 2027.

Dog tax in Saxony: the cities in comparison

The table shows 8 cities, sorted alphabetically: Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz from our nationwide city table, plus Zwickau, Görlitz, Pirna, Bautzen and Meißen. Plauen and Freiberg are missing: We have not found any statutes for Plauen, the Freiberg version online is from 2001 and is too old for current information.

City	1. Dog	2. Dog	List dog	2027	Source
Bautzen²	72 €	96 €	480 €	no change known	bautzen.de
Chemnitz	100 €	135 € per dog¹	750 €	no change known	chemnitz.de
Dresden	108 €	144 €	no separate sentence	no change known	dresden.de
Görlitz	102 €	138 €	768 €	no change known	visit-goerlitz.com
Leipzig	150 €	150 €	no separate sentence	no change known	leipzig.de
Meißen³	60 €	120 €	420 €	no change known	stadt-meissen.de
Pirna⁴	90 €	180 €	360 €	no change known	pirna.de
Zwickau	108 €	140 € per dog¹	720 €	no change known	zwickau.de

¹ Scale per household: If you keep two dogs, you pay the higher rate for each dog, including the first. ² Bautzen: €480 applies to the first dangerous dog, €540 for each additional dog. ³ Meißen: €420 applies to the first dangerous dog, €840 for the second. ⁴ Pirna: €360 applies to the first dangerous dog, €600 for each additional dog. 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

Saxony has a short breed list. According to the law to protect the population from dangerous dogs (GefHundG) and the implementing regulations, three groups of dogs and their crosses are suspected to be dangerous: American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers and Pit Bull Terriers. You can refute this assumption in individual cases with an officially recognized report. In addition, the authorities can classify any dog as dangerous after an incident.

The cities differ widely when it comes to taxes. Leipzig and Dresden do not have their own sentence for dangerous dogs. Pirna charges €360 for the first dangerous dog, Görlitz €768. In its statutes, Zwickau names a list that is much longer than the country, including Neapolitan Mastiff, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, American Bulldog and Caucasian Owcharka, and charges €720 for each of these dogs.

Shelter dogs and exemptions

Several Saxon cities release dogs from animal shelters, mostly only from animal shelters with which the city works. Chemnitz grants 24 months for dogs from animal shelters with a city custody agreement. Görlitz releases dogs from Görlitz animal shelters that have been there for at least six months for the first two years. Zwickau frees dogs from city-supported animal shelters in the first year of keeping them.

Pirna takes a different approach and halves the tax for two years if the dog comes from the Pirna animal shelter. If you hand the dog back in Görlitz or Zwickau within the deadline, you have to pay the tax; If he dies, there is no additional payment. Dangerous dogs are exempt from the Zwickau exemption.

This is how you calculate your dog tax

In Zwickau and Chemnitz, if there are two dogs, the rate increases for both dogs. In Zwickau you pay €108 for one dog and €140 per dog for two dogs, i.e. €280 per year. In Leipzig each dog costs €150, so two dogs cost €300. In Dresden it is 108 € plus 144 €, a total of 252 €.

You usually pay pro rata for part of a year. With our dog tax calculator you can calculate your city's tax rate in just a few seconds.

Frequently asked questions

How much will the dog tax be in Leipzig in 2027? Leipzig has been charging €150 per dog per year since January 1, 2026, including for the second one. There is no separate sentence for listed dogs. We are not aware of any changes for 2027.

Which dogs are considered dangerous in Saxony? American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers and Pit Bull Terriers as well as their crossbreeds are suspected to be dangerous. There are also dogs that the authorities classify as dangerous in individual cases.

Where is the dog tax in Saxony lowest? In our table, Meißen is the cheapest at €60 for the first dog, followed by Bautzen at €72.

Is an animal shelter dog tax-free in Saxony? In Chemnitz for 24 months, in Görlitz for two years and in Zwickau for one year, each for dogs from certain animal shelters. Instead, Pirna halves the tax for two years.

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 (Bautzen, Chemnitz, Dresden, Görlitz, Leipzig, Meißen, Pirna, Zwickau). Sachsen, Gesetz: GefHundG in REVOSax. Sachsen, Rasseliste: Durchführungsverordnung zum GefHundG in REVOSax. Für die Städte aus unserer bundesweiten Tabelle gelten die dort erfassten Beträge mit Stand 20.10.2026.