Dog ownership fees

Registration fees

Effective until 30 June 2010

All dogs three months of age and older must be registered annually. Failure to register a dog three months of age and older will incur an infringement fine as well as late registration fee. The registration fee will be charged on a pro rata rate of the yearly fee.

Dog licence categories and fees
Category
If paid on or before 31 July 2009
If paid after 31 July 2009
Rural dog (properties over one hectare)
$46.50
$69.70
Good Dog Owner (download an application form PDF @ 45K)
$63.50
$95.20
All other urban dogs
$80.50
$120.70
Dangerous dogs (as classified under Section 31 of the Dog Control Act of 1996)
$120.70
$181.10
Police, seeing-eye, hearing dogs
$5.00
$5.00
Replacement tags (if lost)
$2.00
$2.00
NB:

A late payment penalty of 50% of the registration fee shall apply to all registrations remaining unpaid on 1 August 2009. All unregistered dogs after 1 September 2009 shall incur a further $300 infringement fee in addition to any registration fee, plus penalty.

If you have had your dog/s microchipped and have not advised the Nelson City Council please attach copy of the microchip certificate/s to your registration form and return.

Impound fees

Dog owners will have to pay fees if their dog is impounded, with fees increasing over the number of offences.

Impounding fees (1 July 2009 - 30 June 2010)
Category
Fee
First Impounding
$65.00
Second Impounding
$130.00
Third and subsequent impoundings
$195.00
Daily Charge
$13.00
Overtime Callout Charge
$65.00
Microchip insertion
$35.00

Pro-rata fees

The registration fee is a renewable, annual fee. For new dog owners, the fee is charged on a pro rata rate of the yearly fee.

Pro-rata Dog Registration fees 2009 - 10
 
Standard fee
Good dog owner fee
Rural dog fee
June
$80.50
$63.50
$46.50
July
$80.50
$63.50
$46.50
August
$74.50
$58.50
$42.50
September
$68.50
$53.50
$38.50
October
$62.50
$48.50
$34.50
November
$56.50
$43.50
$30.50
December
$50.50
$38.50
$26.50
January
$44.50
$33.50
$22.50
February
$38.50
$28.50
$18.50
March
$32.50
$23.50
$14.50
April
$26.50
$18.50
$10.50
May
$20.50
$13.50
$6.50

If you have had your dog/s microchipped and have not advised the Nelson City Council please attach copy of the microchip certificate/s to your registration form and return.

Refund information

In the event of a dog dying during the current registration year, part of the fee is refundable. The refund is calculated from the month that Council is informed of the dog's death.

For example, the owner of a dog dying in December but not notifying Council until February receives the refund due in February.

A dog that was registered late and subsequently dies entitles the owner to a refund of the standard fee only.

Infringement fees

Council has teeth to enforce all rules under the Dog Control Act, the Dog Control Policy, and the Dog Control Bylaw. The penalties for infringing on Bylaw regulations are as follows:

Penalties for infringement of bylaw
Infringement Penalty
Not carrying a leash $100
Not having your dog under control $200
Not carrying a "doggy do" bag $300
Failing to pick up your dog's faeces $300

The penalty for owning a dog involved in a serious attack has increased from a maximum fine of $5,000 and/or a maximum of up to three months in jail, to a maximum fine of $20,000 or a maximum of three years in jail.

Councils also have powers to seize dogs. Dog control officers and dog rangers can seize dogs that have attacked, that have rushed at anybody, that are unregistered, that are without an adequate supply of food or water, or shelter, that wander and are not under control, and whose owners have not met the obligations for keeping a dangerous or menacing dog. A person convicted of owning a dog involved in a serious attack can be banned from owning a dog for up to five years.