Keeping more than two dogs

Whether you are re-homing a rescued dog, or providing a playmate for the four-legged friends you already own you can only keep more than two dogs over the age of three months at your property if you have a permit or live in a rural zoned area.

Each property is allowed to keep up to two dogs over the age of three months without a permit. 

If your property is

• zoned residential
• a property in a rural zone with an area of 1,000m² or less
• any property in any zone other than a rural zone.

Please note: Properties that are zoned rural are exempt from this dispensation requirement. You can check the zoning for your address here: UHCC Xplorer

A permit is issued for a specific address. It states the maximum number of dogs that can be kept at the property and may include other conditions.

If you have three dogs over the age of three months, without authorisation from Council, you are in breach of the UHCC Dog Control Bylaw 2004.

How to apply

Before you get your new dog, you need to apply for permission to allow additional dogs on a property by completing and submitting the Keeping more than two dogs permit application form, along with the necessary non-refundable application fee of $80.

Your current dog/s listed on the application must be registered within the current registration period, and if the permit is approved the additional dog/s will need to be registered.

As part of the application, an Animal Management Officer will visit the property to check that:

• it is appropriate for the number and type of dogs the applicant wishes to keep
• you are a registered Responsible Dog Owner
• your dogs haven’t been impounded in the past two years
• there have been no justified complaints received by Animal Services regarding the control of any dogs in your care
• you haven’t been convicted of an offence in relation to the control of dogs
• your dogs remain registered in accordance with the Dog Control Act 1996
• the kennels or place of confinement are kept in a clean and sanitary condition
• you haven’t been issued with, and paid or ordered to pay, an infringement notice
• the addition of another dog will likely not cause a problem.

NOTE: Every additional dog must be applied for and permitted, as above.

The decision on whether or not to approve an application will be made by the staff member charged with making such decisions in the Council’s Manual of Delegation. 

Application for permit

Cancelling a permit

Your permit may be cancelled if:

• your dog/s create a nuisance or hazard to health, property and safety or adversely affect the neighbourhood in some other way
• you don’t comply with the permit conditions.

If you have any questions about this process please feel free to contact our Animal Management Officers.