Section 37 of the Dog Control Act 1996, makes provision for the Council to set dog control and associated fees, and section 14 of the Impounding Act 1955 makes similar provision for the control of stock.
The Animal Management Team administers and enforces the provisions of the Dog Control Act 1996, the Christchurch City Council’s Dog Control Policy and Bylaws and the Impounding Act 1955, within the Christchurch City Council district.
Animal management services have two separate functions:
Responsible dog owner status offers an annual reduced dog registration fee, where owners of dogs have successfully completed the application, agreed to the required conditions, have had their records checked and have then been granted the status. Apply for responsible dog owner status.
The Dog Control Act 1996(external link) sets infringement fees for various offences within the Act. Animal Management Officers can issue infringement offence notices for specific breaches of the Act. Officers may decide to issue a warning notice to an owner instead if the circumstances allow it.
View the fee schedule for dog registration, impounding, seizure and infringement offence fees.
If your dog is already set up in our system you can register your dog online.
The neutered dog fee relates to dogs that have been either spayed or neutered, but does not apply to dogs that have been registered as having responsible dog owner status, working/rural dogs, dangerous dogs, or disability assist dogs.
For spayed/neutered dogs, evidence in the form of a veterinary certificate, or a declaration from the owner may be required. This neutering status will be held on record for subsequent registration years.
No separate dog registration fee exists for dogs that are classified as menacing.
Owners granted responsible dog owner status are required to register all dogs in their possession or care by 30 June each year in order to obtain the registration fee rebate (discount) offered by the Council.
Where the responsible dog owner status is held by an owner, failure to register by 30 June each year may cause the status to be lost. When the status is lost, an owner is ineligible to obtain the status again for two years.
Responsible dog owner status may be lost for a number of other breaches of the status conditions.
Responsible dog owner fee concessions do not generally apply after 30 June each year.
A working dog (defined under S2 of the Dog Control Act 1996) will generally be a dog kept solely or predominantly for the herding of stock, or a dog kept by a government agency, such as the Police, for carrying out the functions of that organisation.
Some other dogs may qualify under certain circumstances. If you feel your dog may qualify as a working dog, contact the Animal Management team for verification.
A rural working dog is a dog housed on a working farm and kept solely or principally to contribute to the working of the farm or otherwise assist in farming activities, but which does not qualify as a working dog as per the description above.
Disability assist dogs are dogs trained for a person with a disability by one of the following organisations:
There is no fee for registering disability assist dogs.