Animal management fees for 2025/2026.

  • Fees and charges set under section 150 and in accordance with section 83 of the Local Government Act 2002.
  • Set under the Special Consultative Procedure.
  • Fees set under the Long Term Plan 2023/2034.
  • GST inclusive (15%).

Item Fee
Dogs classified as dangerous (Un-neutered)  
If paid on or before 31 July (being a 50% increase on the standard fee - s32(1)(e) of the Dog Control Act 1996) $147.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025 $220.00
Dogs classified as dangerous (neutered at the time of classification)  
If paid on or before 31 July 2025 $129.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025  
Un-neutered dogs (other than Responsible Dog Owner status)  
If paid on or before 31 July 2025 $98.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025 $147.00
Spayed/neutered dogs (other than Responsible Dog Owner status)  
If paid on or before 31 July 2025 $86.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025 $129.00
Owner granted Responsible Dog Owner (RDO) status  
First dog:  
If paid between 1 July and 31 July 2025 $62.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025 $93.00
Second and subsequent dogs:  
If paid between 1 July and 31 July 2025 $44.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025 $84.00
Working/Rural dogs  
First dog:  
If paid on or after 1 July 2025 $31.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025 $45.00
Second and subsequent dogs:  
If paid on or before 31 July 2025 $26.00
If paid on or after 1 August 2025 $38.00
Disability assist dogs Nil
More than two dogs (MTTD) licence (properties under 10,000m2 / 1 hectare in size)  
Licence for more than two dogs $75.00
Re-inspection fee for the same property $35.00
Bylaw exemption application – Dog limit exemption application fee $175.00

Important

  • Responsible dog owners will have until 31 July 2025 to pay their reduced fee.
  • Penalty fees may be applied after 1 August.
  • A change to a new property means paying a new more than two dogs (MTTD) application fee rather than the re-inspection fee.

Use the fees below when registering a new dog. This could be:

  1. a puppy's first registration, or
  2. when a person is a new owner of a dog

As a guide to what refund may be given in the case of a dog that has died, take the fee for the month after the refund application is received.

Responsible dog owner status and working dogs

Month Responsible dog owner status –
first dog		 Responsible dog owner status –
second and subsequent dogs		 Working dogs –
first dog		 Working dogs –
second and subsequent dogs
July $62.00 $44.00 $31.00 $26.00
August $56.00 $40.00 $28.00 $23.00
September $51.00 $36.00 $25.00 $21.00
October $46.00 $33.00 $23.00 $19.00
November $41.00 $29.00 $10.00 $17.00
December $36.00 $25.00 $18.00 $15.00
January $31.00 $22.00 $15.00 $13.00
February $25.00 $18.00 $12.00 $11.00
March $20.00 $14.00 $10.00 $9.00
April $15.00 $11.00 $7.00 $6.00
May $10.00 $7.00 $5.00 $4.00
June $5.00 $3.00 $2.00 $2.00

 

Spayed, neutered, dangerous and other dogs

Month Spayed and neutered Dangerous dogs – Un-neutered Dangerous dogs – Neutered Other dogs
July $86.00 $147.00 $129.00 $98.00
August $78.00 $134.00 $118.00 $89.00
September $71.00 $122.00 $107.00 $81.00
October $64.00 $110.00 $96.00 $73.00
November $57.00 $98.00 $86.00 $65.00
December $50.00 $85.00 $75.00 $57.00
January $43.00 $73.00 $64.00 $49.00
February $35.00 $61.00 $53.00 $40.00
March $28.00 $49.00 $43.00 $32.00
April $21.00 $36.00 $32.00 $24.00
May $14.00 $24.00 $21.00 $16.00
June $7.00 $12.00 $10.00 $8.00

Notes:

  1. All fees are inclusive of GST as of 1 July 2025.
  2. Responsible Dog Owner fees will increase to standard fees of $86 per dog after 1 August. 
  3. Dogs classified as menacing do not have special fees.
  4. Fees are charged as of the month the dog is to be registered from, e.g. if they are registered in October (or if registering later and they were due to be registered in October), the fee charged will be that for October.
  5. Pro-rata fees for responsible dog owner dogs or working dogs are worked out depending on whether it is the first dog or an additional one.
  6. For new dogs that have come into Christchurch with an existing owner and are unregistered, the charge is the annual fee (without the penalty), e.g. $86, $98, etc; or from the date the owner became liable for registration of it (three months of age or from when they got the dog).

Item Fee
Pound fees - dogs
Dogs cannot be released unless they are registered for the current year, so a registration fee will apply for all unregistered dogs impounded.		  
Fee for the first impounding of any dog $50.00
Fee for the second impounding of the same dog within 2 years of the first impounding $80.00
Fee for the third or subsequent impounding of the same dog within 1 year of the second impounding $120.00
Sustenance charge per day or part thereof $10.00
Destruction and disposal charge for impounding dog $53.00
Adopting a dog from the pound (appropriate registration fees will be charged over and above this fee) $80.00
Pound fee - stock (per impound, not per animal) $50.00
Sustenance charge per day or part thereof $5.00

Notes

  1. Fees payable for the release of stock will include all costs incurred by the Council in the impoundment of the stock (including mileage and travel costs, hire of equipment, e.g. trailers if appropriate) and also the appropriate pound fees, as detailed above.
  2. The fees indicated above are a guide only and the actual cost of release of stock will be advised when individual costs are tallied.

These are fixed fees set by statute for a particular offence.

Section of the Act Infringement offence summary Maximum fee set under the Act
18 Wilful obstruction of dog control office(s) or dog ranger(s) $750.00
19(2) Failure or refusal to supply information or wilfully providing false particulars $750.00
19A(2) Failure to supply information or wilfully providing false particulars about the dog $750.00
20(5) Failure to comply with any bylaw authorised by section 20 of the Act $300.00
23A(2) Failure to undertake a dog owner education programme or dog obedience course (or both) $300.00
24 Failure to comply with the obligations of a probationary owner $750.00
28(5) Failure to comply with the effects of disqualification $750.00
32(2) Failure to comply with the effects of the classification of a dog as dangerous $300.00
32(4) The fraudulent sale or transfer of dangerous dog $500.00
33EC(1) Failure to comply with the effects of the classification of a dog as menacing $300.00
33F(3) Failure to advise a person of the muzzle and leashing requirements $100.00
36(A)6 Failure to implant microchip transponder in dog $300.00
41 False statement relating to dog registration $750.00
41A Falsely notifying the death of a dog $750.00
42 Failing to register a dog $300.00
46(4) Fraudulent procurement or attempting to procure replacement dog regulation labels or disc $500.00
48(3) Failure to advise a change of dog ownership $100.00
49(4) Failure to advise a change of address $100.00
51(1) Removal, swapping, or counterfeiting of registration labels or discs $500.00
52A Failure to keep dog controlled or confined $200.00
53(1) Failure to keep the dog under proper control $200.00
54(2) Failure to provide proper care and attention, to supply proper and sufficient food, water, and shelter, and to provide adequate exercise $300.00
54A Failure to carry a leash in public $100.00
55(7) Failure to comply with barking dog abatement notice $200.00
62(4) Allowing dogs known to be dangerous to be at large unmuzzled or unleashed $300.00
62(5) Failure to advise of the muzzle and leashing requirements $100.00
72(2) Releasing a dog from custody $750.00

The issuing of infringement notices

The Council animal management officers may issue warnings, or infringement offence notices for infringement offences as set out in Schedule 1 of the Dog Control Act 1996.  For repeat offences, infringement offence notices are more likely.