Up to 1,000 Hong Kong restaurants to allow dogs by mid-year

2026-02-03 - 11:37

Hong Kong is set to issue 500 to 1,000 dog-friendly restaurant permits in the initial phase of the scheme in mid-2026. Pixel, the HKFP news hound, welcomes the move. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. According to a panel paper submitted to the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Tuesday, all fully licensed eateries – except hotpot and barbecue restaurants – are eligible to apply for the permits. Successful restaurants will be required to pay a HK$140 fee. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan previously told LegCo on Thursday that authorities would approve the first batch of restaurants in the middle of the year. According to the government’s proposal, dogs in restaurants “must be kept on a leash of not exceeding 1.5 metres. The leash must be held by an adult or tied to a fixture.” “Known dangerous dogs,” which are classified by court order, and fighting dogs will be prohibited from entering restaurants. Any person who violates the above regulations will face a fine of up to HK$10,000, a daily fine of HK$300, or imprisonment for three months. The Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said in the paper that authorities would “take small steps” to roll out the new policy, as the public has diverse opinions towards dogs inside eateries. “The first phase will be implemented on a relatively small scale and in a prudent, manageable manner, so as to allow the society to adapt gradually,” the paper said. The proposed amendments to the Food Business Ordinance will be tabled in LegCo in the first quarter of this year. No dog food preparation According to the government’s proposal, a dog-friendly restaurant must separate the food and reusable utensils for people and for dogs. A Hong Kong restaurant. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “These include: no cooking or preparation of any dog food on the food premises, and only prepackaged dog food may be provided or sold; no dogs are allowed to use the reusable utensils of the food premises; and no dogs are allowed on dining tables,” the paper said. Chief Executive John Lee unveiled a plan to relax an outdated policy banning dogs in restaurants in his 2025 Policy Address in September. Under the current Food Business Regulation, people are not allowed to bring dogs into food premises, with the exception of guide dogs. Offenders can face a fine of up to HK$10,000 and imprisonment for three months. The decades-old rule sparked controversy in January 2025 after a pet-friendly restaurant in Tai Po had to suspend operations for seven days for allowing dogs inside, local media reported.