Cat and dog registration: General information

Registration provides peace of mind for pet owners. Cats and dogs must be registered every year and will be issued with a registration tag. This will help council to identify and reunite them with their owners if they get lost. Dog registrations must be renewed annually as per the Animal Management (Cats & Dogs) Act 2008 Queensland. Cat registrations must be renewed annually as per the Sunshine Coast Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011.

Registering your dog helps council provide services such as off-leash areas and litter bins where they are needed.

The annual registration period is from 1 October to 30 September the following year. New registrations will be valid until 30 September regardless of when the cat or dog is registered.

You can register your cat and dog online via MyCouncil:

Register as an online user for MyCouncil.
Click on MyCouncil Services under Personal Access.
Select Animal Registration from the Applications and Searches menu.
Complete the registration details and make payment where required.

Or you can complete the registration form and return it to council with the appropriate fee.

Animal Fee charges	Standard fees	Pensioner fees
Entire animal	$183.00	$154.00
Entire cat registered with QFA (proof of current membership required)	$95.00	$95.00
Entire dog registered with CCC, Dogs Qld or MDBA (proof of current membership required)	$95.00	$95.00
Desexed animal (proof of desexing required)	$28.00	$14.00
Desexed and microchipped animal (proof of desexing required)	$28.00	$0.00
Lifetime cat registration (must be desexed and microchipped - proof of desexing required)	$104.00	N/A

Cat registration form (DOCX, 180KB)
Dog registration form (DOCX, 180KB)

Fact sheets

Cat ownership (DOCX, 353KB)
Dog ownership (DOCX, 459KB)

Maximum number of cats and dogs

Two cats and two dogs per property.

Please note for multi-unit complexes you must check whether animals are allowed on the property. Contact the body corporate or management to check this.

Should you wish to keep more than two cats and two dogs, you need to apply to council for permission. To apply, complete the animal licence form and return to council.

Additional animal permit application (DOCX, 260KB)

When to register your cat or dog

Owners should register their cats and dogs when they are older than 12 weeks or within:

14 days of acquiring the cat or dog
14 days of becoming a new resident of the region.

Note: Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011 requires all kittens and the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 requires all puppies to be registered at three months of age. You can register kittens and puppies up to six months of age for free.

Kittens and puppies will be classed as entire animals for the purpose of future renewals. Owners will need to provide proof that the kitten or puppy has been desexed.

Assistance animals must be registered with Council. Assistance dogs include; guide, hearing, companion and seeing eye dogs.

Free registration applies to:

kittens and puppies under the age of six months at the time of registration. If they are desexed prior to six months of age they can also be registered at no charge.
Assistance dogs - proof is required (i.e. certified through approved trainers and/or training institute)

Council offers reduced registration fees for owners who are members of the Queensland Feline Association (QFA) or Dogs Queensland. The owner must provide council with the training certification or membership number.

Lifetime registration

Lifetime registration allows you to pay a one-off fee to register your cat. There will be no annual renewal fee. Lifetime registration is available for cat owners who have a cat or kitten which is:

desexed and
microchipped

Desexing pets fact sheet (DOCX, 266KB)

Lifetime registration is not available for dogs at this time. Dog registration is under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 which does not allow lifetime registration.

Transferring registration from another council

New residents to the Sunshine Coast can transfer their cat or dog registration for free. Proof the cat or dog is registered with another council is required. Complete the registration form to transfer the cat registration to Sunshine Coast Council.

Cat registration form (DOCX, 180KB)
Dog registration form (DOCX, 180KB)

Microchipping

Your cat or dog must be microchipped if:

it was younger than 12 weeks as of 1 July 2009
the ownership of the cat or dog changes after 1 July 2009
the dog is a regulated dog. This could be a restricted dog or declared dangerous or menacing dog.

Council recommends that all cats and dogs are microchipped.

Make sure your pet's microchip details are up-to-date with your microchip register. This will help council, the vet or lost animal shelter to reunite you quickly and easily.

Microchipping fact sheet (DOCX, 266KB)