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Responsible Dog Ownership - Registering Your Dog
Local Government
Responsible Dog Ownership
Registering Your Dog

You are required by law to register your dog
  • Dogs over the age of three months are required to be registered with a local government.
  • Even apart from the law, if you care for your dog, you should register your dog in case it strays and is hurt, sick and/or lost to assist authorities in contacting you.
Registration tag
  • Your dog is required to wear a collar with your name and address attached, as well as a valid registration tag.
  • All dogs are required to wear a registration tag in public places.
  • It is an offence for your dog not to wear a collar with these attachments, and you can be given an on-the-spot fine of $50.
Confining your dog
  • When registering, you are required to make a declaration to certify that the property where the dog is kept is capable of confining the dog within those premises. False declarations can attract a penalty of up to $1000.
Why register?
If your dog becomes lost and is impounded by the Ranger, you have a better chance of finding your dog if it is registered and wearing its tag.

What risks do I take if I don’t register my dog?
The animal welfare industry advises that the majority of pets, including dogs, without proper identification are never reunited with their owners.

Rangers keep lost dogs at the pound for as long as possible, and often for longer than the required minimum three-day holding period. However, unregistered dogs cannot be kept indefinitely in pounds and local governments have no option but to dispose of uncollected dogs.

Penalties for non-registration
It is an offence to keep an unregistered dog over the age of three months. Currently, the maximum fine is $500, with a modified penalty of $100.

If your dog is unregistered and subsequently impounded, you may be liable for additional fees. Some local governments may exercise their right to keep your dog in their pound until you pay both the registration fee and the pound fee.

How do I register my dog?
To register your dog, you will need to contact your local government and complete and sign a registration form. Registration forms are only available from local governments. A person under the age of 18 years may not register a dog.

Current registration term
All registrations are due on 1 November each year and can be renewed for either one or three years.

Current registration fees 1 year 3 years
Sterilised
Standard
Pensioner concession		 $10.00
$5.00		 $18.00
$9.00
Unsterilised
Standard
Pensioner concession		 $30.00
$15.00		 $75.00
$37.50

Registration concessions
  • Pensioners who have approved concession cards are entitled to a reduction in fees.
  • Only 50% of the registration fee is payable for registrations made from 31 May in any year.
  • Proof of sterilisation is required to obtain a concession.
You should ask your local government
  • If you qualify for a reduced registration fee, and
  • If a rebate or subsidy applies (eg sterilization subsidy). If so, your local government may require proof of your residency, and conditions may apply.
Rule of thumb
If your dog is older than three months, it should be registered.

If you do not register your dog at the scheduled registration fee applicable to your dog, you risk incurring a penalty of up to $500.
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