Register a dog or cat

Dogs over three months must be registered with Council.

Dogs must be microchipped to be registered.

Keeping multiple dogs

Our Local Law states that residents may not keep more than two dogs (three months of age or older) without a permit. Before registering your pet(s), you will need to apply for a permit to keep more than two dogs.

Standard fees

The standard fees for registering a dog are:

The above amounts are correct as of 1 July 2024.

The dangerous dog category applies if your dog is a classified as a restricted breed dog (Animal Welfare Victoria).

The concession fee only applies to pensioners and veterans - more information is provided below.

Fee reductions

You can get a reduction on the standard registration fee if any of the following categories apply to your dog:

• desexed
• over 10 years old
• obedience trained with an approved training organisation (Animal Welfare Victoria).
• a working dog
• kept for breeding by the owner of a domestic animal business, or
• registered with an applicable organisation (Animal Welfare Victoria).

If you have already registered your dog and it is then desexed at six months of age or younger, a partial refund can be issued. A sterilisation certificate is required.

The reduced fees for registering a dog are:

The above amounts are correct as of 1 July 2024.

You will need to provide proof of all relevant criteria (for example a sterilisation certificate) to get the fee reduction.

You cannot get a reduced fee for a restricted breed dog (Animal Welfare Victoria). 

Fee exemptions

You may be entitled to a fee exemption if your dog is:

• a Guide Dog
• a State Dog
• a Commonwealth Dog
• an assistance dog (see below for more information)

You will still need to register your dog, but no fee will apply. You will need to provide proof to receive the exemption. 

Assistance dogs

If you require the help of an assistance dog due to disability, you may be eligible to receive a fee exemption for your assistance dog. 

Assistance dogs are defined as "a dog that is trained to perform tasks or functions that assist a person with a disability to alleviate the effects of his or her disability".

To comply with state government requirements, in order to receive a fee exemption, the owner of an assistance dog must provide:

• evidence of their disability and need for an assistance dog, and
• evidence that their assistance dog has undertaken training in both assistance and obedience. 

More information can be found on the Animal Welfare Victoria website. To find out more, including if you are eligible to receive a fee exemption for your assistance dog, please contact our Community Safety team at nillumbik@nillumbik.vic.gov.au 

All cats must be microchipped and desexed.

The fees for registering a cat are:

The above amounts are correct as of 2024.

Desexing exemption

You can only get an exemption from desexing if your cat is:

• kept for breeding by the owner of a domestic animal business
• registered with an applicable organisation (Animal Welfare Victoria).

You will need to provide proof to receive the exemption. 

Keeping multiple cats

Our Local Law states that residents may not keep more than two cats (three months of age or older) without a permit. Before registering your pet(s), you will need to apply for a permit to keep more than two cats.

If you have moved from a different council area in Victoria, you can transfer your registration to Nillumbik Shire Council. 

The above amounts are correct as of 1 July 2024.

You will need to provide proof of current registration at your previous council, including a receipt for payment for the current year.

If you hold an eligible concession card, you can get the concession rate for your pet registration. You must hold one of the following cards:

• Pensioner Concession Card
• Veterans' Affairs Gold Card (given for TPI, War Widow, EDA or POW).