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Dover District Council: dog rules

Council-wide dog rules, beaches and named places

Rules added

  • No dogs 9am to 6pm, 1 May to 30 September, on the beach from Sandown Castle to Deal Castle, Dover seafront beach (Waterloo Crescent and Marine Parade) and St Margaret's Beach.
  • Dogs on a lead at 30 listed sites, including Deal Pier, Dover Pier, Sandown Castle Gardens and Deal seafront promenade, Dover Marina Curve, Pencester Gardens, Kearsney Abbey (café side), St Margaret's Bay promenade, Princes Golf Course dunes and beach at Sandwich Bay, and Walmer Green (9am to 6pm, May to September).
  • No dogs in about 60 play areas, games areas, skate parks and pitches, or on Sandwich Nature Reserve, Monks Wall and the Sandwich Bay mudflats and saltmarsh.
  • Pick up; not having a bag is no excuse. Put your dog on a lead if an officer asks.

From 29 July 2025 for three years.

Source: Dover District Council. Checked October 2026.

Assistance dogs: most council dog orders and beach bans exempt assistance dogs, such as guide and hearing dogs. Check the source if you are unsure.

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Beaches with dog rules