Pets

Owning a pet is a wonderful and rewarding experience, but pet owners have responsibilities – to their pets and to the community they live in.

The Alice Springs Town Council Rangers enforce animal control laws to ensure our community is enjoyed by everyone – pet owners, non-pet owners, and the pets themselves.

In 2008, the Animal Management By-Laws that govern pet ownership in Alice Springs were re-written to include important new measures for ensuring a happy and healthy community. To see the newly adopted by-laws please click here.

Some key changes have been made to the Animal By-Laws. This includes strict new penalties for specific offences, and the mandatory registration of cats in Alice Springs.

More information on penalties and registration requirements are available below. For specific pet information, please follow the links.

Owning a Dog | Owning a Cat | Keeping Birds

Registering your pet

Animal registration fees

If you own a cat or dog over 6 months, you must register it with the Alice Springs Town Council.

Dogs and cats can be registered annually, or you can save money and pay a one-off lifetime registration fee. Discounts apply if your pet is desexed, and for pensioners. Please note that your pet must be microchipped to be eligible for lifetime registration. Cats cannot be registered unless they are microchipped.

To keep the pet registration database accurate please inform Council if:

- you move from your current address
- you give your pet away to the RSCPA or someone else
- you sell your pet
- your pet is lost
- you get your pet desexed
- your pet dies
- your pet is going to be looked after by someone else at their home or kennel for an extended period of time

Annual registration

Drop in to the Civic Centre during business hours and complete an application form. There is a fee payable at this time.

Lifetime registration

A dog or cat with a microchip can be registered for life. An application form needs to be completed at the Civic Centre during business hours, and there is a fee payable.

Council's lifetime registration fee pays for the vet insertion fee and the microchip itself. You should get your pet microchipped (by a vet) within 14 days of registering it. Registration is not complete without a microchip. Council’s cashier will give you two copies of the application form and you can make an appointment with a vet of your choice.

Take your pet and both copies of the application form to the vet, who will implant the microchip at no extra cost. The microchip is around the size of a grain of rice, and is implanted in the scruff of your pet's neck using a special tool. The procedure is no more painful than an injection.

NOTE: 'Lifetime registration' only applies while you live in Alice Springs – it does not transfer to other Councils if you move away. You will need to contact your new Council for more information on their registration procedures.

Penalties

Below are some key new penalties enforced under the revised Animal By-Laws. This list is not exhaustive, and in some cases additional administration fees may apply. For more information please refer to the Animal By-Laws document.