Pet registrations

We appreciate that animals are an important part of a family. Registering dogs and cats is the best way to keep them safe and helps us to reunite you with your lost pet. The first period of registration is free or reduced for new animals.

Council runs a program offering a ‘free ride home’ if your pet is found wandering one time. Additional instances may result in infringements.

Each registration comes with a lifetime registration tag. It is a legal requirement to attach the registration tag to your pet’s collar for easy identification by Council staff. If your registration tag is lost, a replacement can be provided for a small fee.

Registration is annual, with fees due each year. If your pet is already registered, a renewal form will be posted to you before your next registration payment, which is due by 10 April each year. This year (2025), residents will have until Saturday 10 May to pay pet registrations.

Register your pet

Follow the steps below to submit your pet registration using our online form.

If unable to complete online forms, you are welcome to request a printed application form at any of our Council Offices.

For further information on registration, contact the Community Safety team on (03) 5348 2306.

Step one: Prepare your information.

Have digital copies of evidence of desexing with you, and any paperwork for reduced fee categories. Make sure you have your microchip number, it should be on your adoption/purchase paperwork or your desexing certificate or can be provided by your vet. If you are entitled to a concession, have your pension card with you.

Step two: Complete the online form.

Step three: If payment is required, our Customer Experience team will contact you.

After you submit your registration and have paid any required fees, a lifetime animal identification tag will be provided to you.

If you prefer, you can also print out this Animal registration form(PDF, 168KB), complete it and bring it, along with the required paperwork, to a Council hub in Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford of Trentham. Customer Experience staff can scan your paperwork for our records. Find your nearest Council hub.

Microchipping and desexing

Microchipping your dog or cat is an excellent way to ensure that your pet can be easily identified if it strays or becomes lost. Staff, vets and animal shelters can scan the microchip and reunite you with your pet.

Once microchipped, it's easy for you to register your pet, which will help you to be reunited if they ever go missing.

Desexing your dog or cat has health benefits and will save you money on your animal registration. It also reduces wandering or straying.

Cost of registration - dogs

Dogs	Fee
Dog - first year registration. Microchipped and desexed or other reduced fee.	No charge
Dog - first year registration. Not reduced fee.	$86
Dog - guide dog or seeing eye dog	No charge
Dog - assistance dog (must provide relevant paperwork - more information below)	No charge*
Desexed dog	$48
Dog over ten years of age	$48
Dog kept for breeding at a registered domestic animal business	$48
Dog registered with approved association of which the owner is also a member	$48
Dog that has undergone approved training as per regulations	$48
Dog kept as working stock (primary production)	$48
Dog not included above	$166
Menacing dog	$252
Dangerous/restricted dog breed	$434

Pensioners: If you are an eligible recipient within the meaning of the State Concessions Act (i.e. if you hold a Pensioner Concession Card or Gold Card), you are entitled to a 50% reduction in the relevant fee. Please ensure to include your pension card number on your domestic animal registration form.

Please Note: Health Care Cards are not included.

*Assistance dogs are exempt from local Council registration fees after recent legislative changes.

If you wish to claim free registration for an assistance dog, the following rules apply:

To be eligible for a registration fee exemption, the assistance dog must meet the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (EO Act) definition, “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”.

The owner of an assistance dog is required to make an application to their council, providing reasonable evidence that:

the applicant has a disability that necessitates an assistance dog
the assistance dog has been trained to alleviate the effect(s) of the disability
the assistance dog has completed obedience training, as defined in the Governer in Council Order
the assistance dog is at least 12 months old
the assistance dog is microchipped
the assistance dog is desexed.

Note: The obedience training can either be completed separately, or as part of the training undertaken to perform tasks or functions that assist the person with a disability to alleviate the effects of their disability.

Find out more on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Cost of registration - cats

Cats	Fee
Cat - first year registration. Desexed and microchipped	No Charge
Cat - first year registration. Not desexed	$74
Desexed cat	$44
Cat over ten years of age	$44
Cat kept for breeding at a registered domestic animal business	$44
Cat registered with approved association of which the owner is also a member	$44
Cat not included above	$149

Please Note: Health Care Cards are not included.

Keeping of other animals

Permits are required for keeping some animals such as sheep and goats on properties smaller than 2,500 square metres. Permits are required for keeping horses, donkeys and other agricultural animals on properties between 2,500 and 4,000 square metres. There are also limits on the number of dogs and cats at each household. See details on this and required permits on our Excess animal page.

Foster or adopt a pet

Are you looking for a new pet? Have you considered adopting or fostering from a rescue group or shelter? There are many animals in need of a loving home.

If you’re not able to take on a permanent pet right now, why not foster an animal to help it find a new home.

Visit the Ballarat Animal Shelter website.

Moving house?

Please let us know if you move within Hepburn Shire, so we can keep your registered pet’s address up-to-date for our free ride home service. If you move away, please let us know so we can update your animal's status. Call us on (03) 5348 2306. Remember to register your pet at your new address.

Has your pet passed away?

We know it can be an emotional time if your cat or dog has died. Please let us know so we can update our records. Our condolences for your loss and our thank you for letting us know.

See our contact us page for how to get in touch by phone or email.