Registering your dog or cat in South Australia

In South Australia, every dog aged three months or older must be registered on Dogs and Cats Online (DACO) within 14 days of you taking it home, and registration expires on 30 June each year. All dogs and cats must also be microchipped, and dogs and cats born after 1 July 2018 must be desexed unless an exemption applies. Cat registration depends on your council, but every cat’s microchip still needs to be recorded on DACO.

The short version

• Register your dog on Dogs and Cats Online once it’s three months old, or within 14 days of getting it, and renew every year by 30 June.
• Microchip puppies and kittens before 12 weeks of age, before they’re sold, or within 28 days of a new owner taking them home.
• Desex dogs and cats born after 1 July 2018 before six months of age, or within 28 days of taking ownership of an older animal.
• Keep your details current on DACO whenever you move house or change your phone number.

Registering your dog on Dogs and Cats Online

Dogs and Cats Online is the statewide register used by the Dog and Cat Management Board and every council in South Australia. You register your dog using its microchip number, or an electronic copy of the microchip certificate. The SA Law Handbook notes that a dog must be registered in the name of a person aged 16 or older.

Once your dog is registered, the Board says you’ll receive a registration certificate and a grey disc showing your dog’s registration number within 15 days. Registration runs to 30 June, renewal notices go out in July, and there’s no lifetime registration in South Australia.

Councils set their own registration fees, and the Board points out that significant discounts apply to dogs that are both desexed and microchipped. That fee income has to be spent on dog and cat management. Leaving a dog unregistered can get expensive: the Law Handbook lists a maximum penalty of $2,500 (expiation fee $170) for most dogs, and a further offence for every 14 days the dog stays unregistered.

Microchipping is compulsory

All dogs and cats in South Australia must be microchipped and registered on Dogs and Cats Online. According to the Board’s microchipping guidance, puppies and kittens must be chipped before 12 weeks of age, before they’re sold, or within 28 days of an owner taking possession. A vet or a microchip implanter can implant the chip, and a vet can grant an exemption if chipping would pose an undue risk to the animal’s health.

A microchip only helps if the details behind it are right. The Board reminds owners to update DACO if they move house, change phone numbers, or if their pet goes to a temporary or new home.

Desexing rules for dogs and cats

Dogs and cats born after 1 July 2018 must be desexed by a registered vet before they’re six months old, or within 28 days of the owner taking possession. Exemptions include animals born before 1 July 2018, animals belonging to registered breeders, working livestock dogs, racing greyhounds registered with Greyhound Racing SA, and cases where a vet certifies that desexing would pose an undue risk to the animal’s health, growth or wellbeing. The full details are on the Board’s dog desexing and cat desexing pages, which also mention reduced-cost desexing for concession card holders through the National Desexing Network.

What about cats in the Barossa?

Cat registration is partly up to each council. The Board explains that all councils charge dog registration fees, but only some have cat registration in a by-law. The Barossa Council’s Dog and Cat Management Plan 2022–2027 says local cat registration and confinement weren’t included in that plan, given the low number of complaints. Barossa cats still need to be microchipped and desexed (unless exempt), with the microchip recorded on Dogs and Cats Online.

The council does have dog and cat by-laws that limit how many animals can be kept at a property. Its dog by-law allows two dogs per dwelling in a township and three outside a township (working dogs aside), and a permit is needed to keep more. The cat by-law also limits cat numbers in some situations, again with a permit option. If you’re thinking about adding another pet, it’s worth checking with The Barossa Council first.

Walking your dog around the Barossa

The council’s management plan says dogs can be exercised off-lead on most council reserves unless signs say otherwise, as long as they’re under effective control. That means your dog responds straight away to your voice, stays close, and you can see it at all times. Dogs need to be on a lead on public streets, roads and footpaths, on shared walking and cycling paths, and in Forestry SA reserves, campgrounds and national parks.

The plan lists fenced dog exercise areas at Linear Park on Penrice Road, Nuriootpa, and the Williamstown Oval precinct, with Heinemann Park in Tanunda partly fenced. Always follow the signs on the day, since they take priority.

Common questions

This is a general summary, not legal advice. Check Dogs and Cats Online, the Dog and Cat Management Board or The Barossa Council for your situation.