The Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 (the Act) was passed on 11 December 2008. The Act promotes responsible pet ownership and gives councils around the state the mandate to enforce the legislation. The Act has been rolled out across Queensland from 1 July 2009.

It is important that pet owners contact their local council for registration details, discounts and fee-free periods.

Across Queensland from 1 July 2009:

• Dogs that show menacing behaviour will be able to be classified as 'menacing dogs', a type of regulated dog.
• Local governments will continue to be responsible for enforcing the regulated dog provisions.
• Any person microchipping a cat or dog must be authorised through the state government.
• Companies that store microchip information (called Permanent Identification Device (PID) registries) will need to be registered with the State Government.
• When a cat or dog is desexed, it will need to have a tattoo to distinguish it as desexed.

Across Queensland from 12 December 2010:

• Cats must be registered with your local council.
• New cats and dogs must be microchipped.

These requirements have been progressively rolled out across the state since 1 July 2009. Refer to animal management laws, to find out when your council introduced these requirements.

What pet owners need to know

Registration helps your council return your cat to you if it becomes lost. Visit the registering your cat page for more information, and contact your local council for information on how to register, cost, discounts and fee-free periods.

Existing pets older than 12 weeks when the microchipping laws are introduced in your council area do not have to be microchipped, although it is recommended.

• if your cat or dog is under 12 weeks of age when the microchipping laws are introduced in your local Council area
• if a cat or dog is being sold or given away
• if a dog is a declared regulated dog.

• the implanter has a reasonable excuse
• the implanter is a veterinary surgeon who considers implanting the microchip is not likely to be a serious risk to the health of the cat or dog
• there is a signed veterinary surgeon’s certificate for the cat or dog stating that implanting the microchip when it is less than eight weeks old is not likely to be a serious risk to the health of the cat or dog.

Queensland was previously the only jurisdiction (except the Northern Territory) without mandatory registration and identification of cats and dogs in place.

Further information

Pet owners
Find out about your responsibilities as a pet owner, registering your cat, microchip your cat and dog, regulated dogs and legislation.

Industry
Information for microchippers and veterinarians, pet shops and PID registries.

Local governments
Check out the local government resources and contact details for the department.

Local laws database
Access the database of local laws enacted by various councils across Queensland.

Pilot studies
See a progress update on the Managing Unwanted Cats and Dogs pilot studies.

Queensland household survey
Find out about pet ownership in Queensland.

Puppy farming
More information about legislative reforms the Queensland Government is exploring to address puppy farms.