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‘Extra’ Animals Fees To Fall

The fee for keeping more than the specified number of animals in residential areas and farming areas is set to fall.

By East Gippsland Shire Council - 16th December 2004 - Back to News

Manager of Community Laws and Emergency Management Heather Jones said there are currently in the East Gippsland Shire Council two permits issued for keeping more than two dogs and one permit for keeping more than three cats

"However it is a reasonable assumption that many people own more than two dogs or cats but are failing to apply for a permit," she said.

Ms Jones said the role of the Community Laws and Emergency Management Unit in relation to animal control is to ensure that it monitors animal keeping within the Shire and enforces registration requirements as necessary.

"The present fee structure is promoting non-compliance by encouraging residents to ‘hide’ the third animal and avoid the fee of $70.00 plus registration costs," she said.

"A more affordable fee of $10.00, plus community education, will result in greater numbers of animals being registered and therefore encouraging owners to become accountable for their pets and allow Council to realistically monitor the pet population in the Shire."

Without a permit an owner or occupier of land in a Residential Area must not keep more than two cats, two dogs, four poultry hens, four domestic birds, four domestic mice, two guinea pigs or two domestic rabbits. No livestock, guinea fowl or roosters are permitted.

In Farming Areas the allowance is six cats, six dogs, twenty guinea fowl and roosters, twenty poultry including two roosters, one hundred domestic birds, ten domestic mice, ten guinea pigs and two domestic rabbits.

The fee to obtain a permit for keeping more than the above (eg resident with 3 dogs) is currently set at $70.00.

Ms Jones said that most municipalities have a similar law and the average fee to for a Permit to keep excess numbers of animal’s ranges from $5.00 to $15.00.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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