Registering your dog

All dogs must be registered once they are three months old and dog owners must ensure the ongoing annual registration of their dog/s (as required under section 36 of the Dog Control Act 1996).

How to register a dog

To register your dog, visit our Council offices at 20 Thames Street Oamaru or our service centre at 54 Tiverton Street Palmerston. You can phone the Council's Customer Liaison Team to request information, and for forms to be sent to you. You will need to advise the details below for the register, and to ensure the correct fee is charged. You may be asked:

  • At what address your dog was last registered?
  • Who the previous owner of your dog was?
  • How long have you been the dog's owner? (The above three queries pertain to dogs greater than three months of age)
  • What age you are? (Legally you are required to be over the age of 16 before you can register a dog)

In the case of the annual registration of dogs, owners must register their dog on or before 1 July each year. Although an application to register is sent at the beginning of June, the responsibility to register remains with the dog's owner whether or not an application is received.

Dog registration fees

Registration goes from 1 July to 30 June each year. If you get a dog at other times of the year, then you will only pay a registration fee for part of the year.

See our Fees and Charges for more information.

How to pay dog registration fees

You can pay the registration fee by cash, or credit/Eftpos cards at Council offices or pay by internet banking.

 

In person

Pay in person 

If you would like to pay by cash, EFTPOS or Credit Card* at Council offices, you are welcome to visit

  • The main Council office at 20 Thames Street, Oamaru, or 
  • Our service Centre at 54 Tiverton Street, Palmerston.

*Note: A merchant fee of 1.5% will be charged for credit card payments to cover the cost of this payment option. 

Bank transfer

Pay by bank transfer

You can arrange with your bank to pay fees by phone or internet banking.

Note: This payment option is only available for dogs registered in Waitaki District during the previous registration year.

Please use the following details when making your payment by online banking to ensure it will be receipted correctly.

Bank: Bank of New Zealand (BNZ)
Account name: Waitaki District Council
Account number: 02 0940 0156400 00

Important note:

Please do not make one transfer for several accounts - for example, three rate accounts, a water account, and a dog registration. Please split the payment with the appropriate payment particular and reference details to ensure that it is paid to the correct account.

When making a payment please make sure you use the correct reference details so that we can assign the payment to you. The information below shows you the type of payment and the reference required.

How to set up a bank transfer correctly

Enter the correct information in each of the 3 fields your bank provides for you; 'Particulars', 'Code', and 'Reference'.


Paying for one dog 

Particular:
Dog Registration (one dog)

Code:
"DOG REGO"

Reference:
Customer NAR number from the top of the Application for Dog Registration.

PAYING FOR more than one DOG 

Particular:
Dog Registration (more than one dog)

Code:
"DOG REGO"

Reference:
Customer NAR number from the top of the application for Dog registration.
Note: If the dog shown on the application has changed, please contact Council before submitting making payment.


 

The Council has a special category of dog owner called "Selected Owner". Selected owner status is a way of acknowledging and rewarding responsible dog owners. If you qualify as a selected owner, you pay a significantly reduced registration fee (refer to our Fees and Charges). For more information please go to select owner status page.

The Council has a special category of dog owner called "Selected Owner". Selected owner status is a way of acknowledging and rewarding responsible dog owners. If you qualify as a selected owner, you pay a significantly reduced registration fee (refer to our Fees and Charges). For more information please go to our Selected Owner Status page.

Dogs over 3 months are required to be microchipped in the following circumstances:

  • All dogs first registered on or after 1 July 2006 (except working dogs as defined in section 36A (2A) of the Act)
  • All dogs classified as dangerous or menacing within one month after receipt of notice of the classification.
  • All dogs impounded and released by the local authority for the second time
  • Unregistered dogs that are impounded and released

A vet or a trained microchip inserter must carry out any microchipping of a dog. The owner must provide verification that the dog has been microchipped at the time of registration to Waitaki District Council. Talk with your vet about available microchip options.

Selected Owners only may apply for a permit to accommodate more than three dogs over the age of three months on an urban residential zoned property, or a rural residential property with equal to or less than a 2,500m2 site.

Permits are also required for more than three working dogs over the age of three months on an urban residential zoned property (as defined in the Waitaki District Plan), or a rural-residential property equal to or less than a 2,500m2 site .

Note: NZKC registered breeders or any approved property used for the business of dog boarding kennels is exempt but confirmation as a breeder or kennel owner must be established. All existing dog owners with more than three dogs will be granted an existing rights status (and will not need to apply for a permit) until such time as there is a need to register new dogs to the property.

To download an application - Permit for more than 3 dogs(PDF, 171KB)

 

Council will issue an infringement notice to a person keeping an unregistered dog. The infringement fee for this offence is fixed at $300 and payment of this does not include the registration fee - ie the dog must still be registered. If you receive an infringement notice please read the conditions on reverse of the notice carefully.

Unregistered dogs may also be seized. As well as the registration fee, seizure fees will be applied.

Where a fee for the registration of a dog has been paid, and the dog dies before the commencement of or during the registration year, Council will refund upon written request (including the registration tag or a letter from a vet), a proportion of the fee paid.

This is calculated on the complete months yet to run in the registration year after the date of the application for the refund to encourage timely, although not necessarily immediate, notification of the death to Council.

Under the Dog Control Act 1996, Council is required to keep a register of dogs registered with it information required to be shown on the register is:

  • Name, address and date of birth of the owner of the dog.
  • Physical address of where the dog is kept.
  • Description of the dog eg: Breed, colour.
  • The age and sex of the dog.
  • The registration number of the collar, tag or disc issued for the dog.

Whenever any of the details on the Council's dog register are changed, the dog's owner must advise the Council as soon as possible (within 14 days). Details that would need to be changed on the register are:

  • Change of owner of a dog.
  • Change of address of a dog (either same owner or new owner).
  • Change of postal address of dog owner.
  • Change of name of current owner.
  • Any correction of incorrect details.
  • Where your dog has died, or gone missing.

Monitoring and enforcing the Dog Control Act 199 6 and ensuring compliance with Dog Control bylaws and policies. Promoting better care and control of the nearly 5600 dogs in Waitaki district by:

  • Providing a service to the community
  • Encouraging responsible dog ownership
  • Protecting dog owner's rights to own a dog by dealing with dog related problems
  • Providing dog owners with education on dealing with dog related problems
  • Re-homing unwanted or unclaimed dogs
  • Promoting community safety
  • Responding to complaints about dogs
  • Maintaining National Dog Database records:
    This enables a dog to be linked to its owner, so if it is lost or stolen, both dog and owner can be identified and reunited. A microchip can also clearly identify a dog which has been aggressive and classified as dangerous or menacing. This is especially important as it renders owners unable to disguise their dog's identity.

 

As a dog owner you are responsible for ensuring your dog is confined within your property and under control at all times. When out walking your dog you must carry a leash and a suitable receptacle to pick up dog faeces.

Dog owners should also familiarise themselves with on-leash and off leash areas for dog walking.

We encourage our community to stay safe, so if you have any concerns about a dog wandering, causing a nuisance or a risk to public safety, please call us to report your concerns. Animal control will investigate the issue and the information you provide will be kept confidential.