22-16 Increases to companion animal fees for 2022/23
| Circular Details | 22-16 / 2 June 2022 / A821940 |
| Previous Circular | 21-15 |
| Who should read this | Councillors / General Managers / Council finance staff / Companion Animal Enforcement and Administration Officers |
| Contact | Program Delivery Team – (02) 4428 4100 or 1300 134 460 pets@olg.nsw.gov.au |
| Action required | Council to Implement |
| PDF Version | 22-16 Increases to companion animal fees for 2022/23 |
What’s new or changing
- All registration and annual permit fees have been adjusted for 2022/23.
- The 2022-23 registration and permit fees effective from 1 July 2022 are prescribed below:
| Registration Category | New fee amount |
| Dog – Desexed (by relevant age) | $69 |
| Dog – Desexed (by relevant age eligible pensioner) | $29 |
| Dog – Desexed (sold by pound/shelter) | $0 |
| Dog – Not Desexed or Desexed (after relevant age) | $234 |
| Dog – Not Desexed (not recommended) | $69 |
| Dog – Not Desexed (recognised breeder) | $69 |
| Dog – Working | $0 |
| Dog – Service of the State | $0 |
| Assistance Animal | $0 |
| Cat – Desexed or Not Desexed $59 | $59 |
| Cat – Eligible Pensioner | $29 |
| Cat – Desexed (sold by pound/shelter) | $0 |
| Cat – Not Desexed (not recommended) | $59 |
| Cat – Not Desexed (recognised breeder) | $59 |
| Registration late fee | $19 |
| Annual permit category | New fee amount |
| Cat not desexed by four months of age | $85 |
| Dangerous dog | $206 |
| Restricted dog | $206 |
| Permit late fee | $19 |
- Councils must continue to register eligible pound/shelter animals through the NSW
- Companion Animals Register. Free registration for these animals does not mean that registration is not required. The established process of ‘flagging’ an animal as being purchased from an eligible pound/shelter is required to validate a free registration.
- When processing a registration for an eligible pensioner whose pet has been recommended by a vet to not undergo desexing (either temporarily or permanently), select the new “not desexed (not recommended – pensioner)” category. This will allow the eligible pensioner to claim the discounted registration.
Key points
- The Companion Animals Regulation 2018 has been amended so that
- cl.18(2)(a) sets the baseline registration fee for a dog at $69; and
- cl.18(2)(c) has been removed and replaced by a new clause under section 18(4) to prescribe that no registration fee is payable for a companion animal that is desexed and sold to the owner by a rehoming organisation.
- Clause 18(2)(b) is unchanged in that the registration fee for a cat would remain at $10 less than the registration fee for a dog ($69). However, to avoid doubt, a new clause prescribed as 18(6C) sets out the registration fee for a dog and cat at $69 and $59. The amounts include the CPI adjustment.
- The CPI adjusted registration fee for pensioners, the additional fee for a non-desexed dog, late fee and permit fees remain as per the notice (as outlined in the table above).
- The NSW Pet Registry will be updated to include the new fees for online registration and permit payments made by pet owners from 1 July 2022.
- Both the old and new fee structures will be maintained on the Companion Animals Register to allow councils to correct registration details for existing records and catch up on data entry backlogs (i.e. where fees have been receipted before 1 July 2022 but not entered on the Register).
Where to go for further information
- A list of registration categories, current fees and the new fees for 2022/23 is provided on the Office of Local Government’s (OLG) website at www.olg.nsw.gov.au/public/dogs-cats/nsw-pet-registry/microchipping-and-registration.
- Information relating to the processing of registration fees is available in Companion Animals Guideline 1 – Registration Agents, available on OLG’s website at www.olg.nsw.gov.au/councils/responsible-pet-ownership/nsw-pet-registry/the-cat-and-dog-register.