Under the Companion Animals Act 1998, a dog is a ‘nuisance dog’ if it does any of the following:
- consistently roams
- makes persistent, excessive noise
- repeatedly defecates on private property other than the property where it usually lives
- repeatedly causes substantial damage to anything outside the property where it usually lives
- repeatedly runs at or chases a person, animal, or a vehicle. This doesn’t include running at or chasing vermin or livestock while the dog is droving, tending, working, or protecting them
- endangers the health of a person or animal. This doesn’t include vermin or livestock while droving, tending, working or protecting them.
A cat can be declared a nuisance under the Companion Animals Act 1998 if it:
- makes persistent, excessive noise
- repeatedly damages anything outside the property where it usually lives.
Complaints about nuisance pets
If you have a complaint about a nuisance pets, you should talk to the owner and try to find a solution together. If this approach is unsuccessful, or you are not comfortable with it, please contact your local council.
If council has received multiple complaints or identifies a serious or ongoing problem, it may issue a nuisance order. This requires the animal’s owner to stop the behaviour outlined in the order.
If you receive a nuisance order about your dog, you must prevent it from continuing the behaviour described. If you fail to do so, you may be issued with a maximum penalty of $880 for the first offence and $1,650 for each following offence.
If you receive a nuisance order about your cat and fail to comply with the order, you maybe be issued a maximum penalty of $330 for the first office and $880 for each following offence.
My dog is causing a nuisance – what should I do?
Barking is one of the ways dogs communicate and can signify anything from playfulness to danger. Dogs sometimes bark because they are bored, provoked, untrained or unwell.
It’s in everyone’s interest to stop your dog from barking too much. You can often do this through training, exercise, proper nutrition, and by providing entertainment while you’re away from home (like dog toys and food hides).
The Companion Animals Act 1998 also requires you to keep your dog under control and prevent them from straying. Keep your dog on a leash in public places (besides council-designated off-leash areas) and make sure your property is secured, so your dog can’t escape.
Desexing dogs will reduce the likelihood of your dog straying, being aggressive or territorial, and minimise the risk of certain illnesses. In NSW, owners will need to pay an additional fee if dogs aren’t desexed by the time they’re 6 months old.
My cat is causing a nuisance – what should I do?
The Companion Animals Act 1998 does not require you keep your cat indoors, but there are many benefits if you do. It reduces the likelihood that your cat will be lost, injured in a fight or kill native wildlife.
Cats are banned from wildlife protection areas and public areas where food is prepared or consumed. Wildlife protection areas are designated and signposted by local councils.
NSW cat owners need an annual permit if their cat isn’t desexed before they’re 4 months old. Desexing reduces the likelihood of cats straying, fighting or being aggressive, and minimises the risk of certain illnesses.