diff --git a/api/apps/api/src/modules/geo-feature-tags/dto/update-geo-feature-tag.dto.ts b/api/apps/api/src/modules/geo-feature-tags/dto/update-geo-feature-tag.dto.ts
index 0015d1d8d1..1534ca4ba1 100644
--- a/api/apps/api/src/modules/geo-feature-tags/dto/update-geo-feature-tag.dto.ts
+++ b/api/apps/api/src/modules/geo-feature-tags/dto/update-geo-feature-tag.dto.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { ApiProperty } from '@nestjs/swagger';
-import { IsNotEmpty, MaxLength, Validate } from 'class-validator';
+import { IsNotEmpty, IsString, MaxLength, Validate } from 'class-validator';
 import { IsValidTagNameValidator } from '@marxan-api/modules/geo-feature-tags/validators/is-valid-tag-name.custom.validator';
+import { Transform } from 'class-transformer';
 
 export const tagMaxlength = 30;
 
@@ -9,7 +10,9 @@ export const tagMaxLengthErrorMessage = `A tag should not be longer than ${tagMa
 export class UpdateGeoFeatureTagDTO {
   @ApiProperty()
   @IsNotEmpty({ message: 'The Tag cannot not be empty' })
+  @IsString()
   @Validate(IsValidTagNameValidator)
+  @Transform((value: string): string => value.trim())
   @MaxLength(tagMaxlength, {
     message: tagMaxLengthErrorMessage,
   })
diff --git a/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/update-project-tag.dto.ts b/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/update-project-tag.dto.ts
index b5792bacc0..e5d49bcd78 100644
--- a/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/update-project-tag.dto.ts
+++ b/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/update-project-tag.dto.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 import { ApiProperty } from '@nestjs/swagger';
-import { IsNotEmpty, MaxLength, Validate } from 'class-validator';
+import { IsNotEmpty, IsString, MaxLength, Validate } from 'class-validator';
 import { IsValidTagNameValidator } from '@marxan-api/modules/geo-feature-tags/validators/is-valid-tag-name.custom.validator';
 import {
   tagMaxlength,
   tagMaxLengthErrorMessage,
 } from '@marxan-api/modules/geo-feature-tags/dto/update-geo-feature-tag.dto';
+import { Transform } from 'class-transformer';
 
 export class UpdateProjectTagDTO {
   @ApiProperty()
@@ -13,7 +14,9 @@ export class UpdateProjectTagDTO {
 
   @ApiProperty()
   @IsNotEmpty({ message: 'The Tag cannot not be empty' })
+  @IsString()
   @Validate(IsValidTagNameValidator)
+  @Transform((value: string): string => value.trim())
   @MaxLength(tagMaxlength, {
     message: tagMaxLengthErrorMessage,
   })
diff --git a/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/upload-shapefile.dto.ts b/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/upload-shapefile.dto.ts
index f631111765..f3b91a5d8c 100644
--- a/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/upload-shapefile.dto.ts
+++ b/api/apps/api/src/modules/projects/dto/upload-shapefile.dto.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   tagMaxLengthErrorMessage,
 } from '@marxan-api/modules/geo-feature-tags/dto/update-geo-feature-tag.dto';
 import { IsValidTagNameValidator } from '@marxan-api/modules/geo-feature-tags/validators/is-valid-tag-name.custom.validator';
+import { Transform } from 'class-transformer';
 
 export class UploadShapefileDTO {
   @ApiProperty()
@@ -18,7 +19,9 @@ export class UploadShapefileDTO {
 
   @ApiPropertyOptional()
   @IsOptional()
+  @IsString()
   @Validate(IsValidTagNameValidator)
+  @Transform((value: string): string => value.trim())
   @MaxLength(tagMaxlength, {
     message: tagMaxLengthErrorMessage,
   })
diff --git a/api/apps/api/test/geo-features/geo-feature-tags.e2e-spec.ts b/api/apps/api/test/geo-features/geo-feature-tags.e2e-spec.ts
index cdc0fec9d9..ba3dcc2826 100644
--- a/api/apps/api/test/geo-features/geo-feature-tags.e2e-spec.ts
+++ b/api/apps/api/test/geo-features/geo-feature-tags.e2e-spec.ts
@@ -250,6 +250,30 @@ describe('GeoFeatureTag PATCH (e2e)', () => {
     await fixtures.ThenFeatureHasTag(projectId, featureId, newTag);
   });
 
+  test('should update the tag of the geo feature with trimmed down leading and trailing white spaces', async () => {
+    // ARRANGE
+    const projectId = await fixtures.GivenProject('someProject');
+    const featureId = await fixtures.GivenFeatureOnProject(
+      projectId,
+      'someFeature',
+    );
+    await fixtures.GivenTagOnFeature(projectId, featureId, 'oldTag');
+    const newPaddedTag = '  padded TAG     ';
+
+    // ACT
+    const response = await fixtures.WhenPatchingAGeoFeatureTag(
+      projectId,
+      featureId,
+      newPaddedTag,
+    );
+
+    // ASSERT
+    expect(response.status).toBe(HttpStatus.OK);
+    expect(response.body.data.type).toBe('geo_features');
+    expect(response.body.data.attributes.featureClassName).toBe('someFeature');
+    await fixtures.ThenFeatureHasTag(projectId, featureId, newPaddedTag.trim());
+  });
+
   test('should tag the feature properly, even if the feature does not previously have a tag', async () => {
     // ARRANGE
     const projectId = await fixtures.GivenProject('someProject');
diff --git a/api/apps/api/test/projects/project-feature-tags/project-tags.e2e-spec.ts b/api/apps/api/test/projects/project-feature-tags/project-tags.e2e-spec.ts
index 0d2dd7260b..a535092d31 100644
--- a/api/apps/api/test/projects/project-feature-tags/project-tags.e2e-spec.ts
+++ b/api/apps/api/test/projects/project-feature-tags/project-tags.e2e-spec.ts
@@ -242,6 +242,29 @@ describe('Projects Tag PATCH (e2e)', () => {
     await fixtures.ThenFeatureHasTag(projectId1, featureId11, 'updatedTAG');
     await fixtures.ThenFeatureHasTag(projectId1, featureId14, 'updatedTAG');
   });
+
+  test('should update all feature tag rows that match exactly with the tag to be updated trimmed down of leading and trailing white spaces', async () => {
+    // ARRANGE
+    const projectId = await fixtures.GivenProject('someProject');
+    const featureId1 = await fixtures.GivenFeatureOnProject(projectId, 'f1');
+    const featureId2 = await fixtures.GivenFeatureOnProject(projectId, 'f2');
+
+    await fixtures.GivenTagOnFeature(projectId, featureId1, 'toBeUpdated');
+    await fixtures.GivenTagOnFeature(projectId, featureId2, 'toBeUpdated');
+    const paddedTag = '   paddedTAG        ';
+
+    //ACT
+    const response = await fixtures.WhenPatchingAProjectTag(
+      projectId,
+      'toBeUpdated',
+      paddedTag,
+    );
+
+    //ASSERT
+    expect(response.status).toBe(HttpStatus.OK);
+    await fixtures.ThenFeatureHasTag(projectId, featureId1, paddedTag.trim());
+    await fixtures.ThenFeatureHasTag(projectId, featureId2, paddedTag.trim());
+  });
 });
 
 describe('Projects Tag DELETE (e2e)', () => {
diff --git a/api/apps/api/test/upload-feature/upload-feature.e2e-spec.ts b/api/apps/api/test/upload-feature/upload-feature.e2e-spec.ts
index d76f006e54..d07d51519f 100644
--- a/api/apps/api/test/upload-feature/upload-feature.e2e-spec.ts
+++ b/api/apps/api/test/upload-feature/upload-feature.e2e-spec.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,30 @@ test(`if tagging info is included in DTO and valid, created feature should be ta
   await fixtures.ThenGeoFeatureTagIsCreated(name, tag);
 });
 
+test(`if tagging info is included in, the feature's tag should be trimmed down of white spaces `, async () => {
+  // ARRANGE
+  const name = 'someFeature';
+  const description = 'someDescrip';
+  const paddedTag = '   paddedTag    ';
+  await fixtures.GivenProjectPusWithGeometryForProject();
+
+  // ACT
+  const result = await fixtures.WhenUploadingCustomFeature(
+    name,
+    description,
+    paddedTag,
+  );
+
+  // ASSERT
+  await fixtures.ThenGeoFeaturesAreCreated(
+    result,
+    name,
+    description,
+    paddedTag.trim(),
+  );
+  await fixtures.ThenGeoFeatureTagIsCreated(name, paddedTag.trim());
+});
+
 test(`if there is already an existing feature with a tag that has equivalent capitalization to the one included in the custom feature DTO, the existing one will be used for the new feature`, async () => {
   // ARRANGE
   const equivalentTag = 'some-Tag';