Report:changes to your details on a registered animal
Rules for Dogs
- By law, all dogs must be microchipped at 12 weeks of age then registered for life by paying the appropriate fee to the council.
- Puppies being sold or given away must be microchipped by the seller at 12 weeks of age or before.
- New owners must add their details and complete lifetime registration by six months of age.
- There are exemptions for trained assistance animals, such as seeing eye or hearing dogs, farm working dogs and greyhounds registered with the Greyhound Control Board.
- Numbered ID tags are no longer issued, however, dogs must wear a collar and tag giving the animal's name and your phone number (so that you can be contacted directly if your pet is found).
Rules for Cats
- Cats being sold or given away must be microchipped by the seller at 12 weeks of age or before.
- New owners must add their details and complete lifetime registration by six months of age.
- All cats must also be identifiable by either a collar or tag.
Microchipping
Microchipping involves the injection of a tiny rice grain-sized pellet under the skin. The 'chip' contains an encoded ID number that can be read using a scanner by any vet or shelter.
Your vet will microchip your pet and issue you with a pink copy of the Certificate of Identification. The vet keeps a copy and sends another copy to the council so notification of microchipping can be entered onto the NSW Companion Animal Register. This is not the same as registering your animal but must be done first so that young dogs and cats can still be identified if they are lost before they have been registered.
If you bought your pet from a breeder or pet shop, the animal will have been microchipped before sale and you will be given the pink form at the time of sale. The breeder or pet shop will forward the yellow copy to the council.
If you don't know if the animal is microchipped (for example, if you were given the animal and did not receive any related forms), your vet can check for a microchip and issue a Certificate of Identification.
Once the council has entered the microchipping information into the Companion Animals Register, the animal's owner is sent a Certificate of Identification. There is no fee for this.
Registration
Registering your pet is easy. Simply provide the council with either the Certificate of Identification or the pink copy you received from the vet when you had the animal microchipped. Registration can be paid in person or by mail at the council's Administration Centre.
Registration Fees:
- entire (undesexed) cat or dog - $150.00
- entire (undesexed) cat or dog owned by a registered breeder - $40.00
- desexed dog or cat - $40.00 (general rate)
- desexed dog/cat is $15.00 (pensioners)
When registration is paid, the council will send you a Certificate of Identification and Registration. This completes the microchipping/registration process.
Updating Registration Details
Registration information about your pet must be updated on the Companion Animals Register within 14 days in any of the following circumstances:
- You become the owner of an animal that has already been microchipped or registered.
- The address or contact numbers associated with the animal changes, such as when you move house.
- Your pet dog or cat passes away
To updated your animals registration details online, use the animal form.
Report:changes to your details on a registered animal
Alternatively, complete the section on the back of the Certificate of Identification/Registration or pink copy from the vet, and forward it to the council. There is no fee for this. If you do not have the certificate or pink copy, you can download the Change of Owner/Details Form from the Department of Local Government's companion animals page. Complete this form and return it to the council.
Further Information
Registration Clerk
Phone 02 9710 5710.