Register your dog

Miniature schnauzer puppy with yellow rego tag sitting nicely on He Ara Kotahi.

Need to pay your dog registration? You've come to the right place.

First, choose how you want to pay: Online, by internet banking, or over the counter.

If you haven’t got an invoice, call us on 06 356 8199.

If you need to update any of your dog's details, please do that first.

Update dog details

Ways to pay your dog rego

Online

Pay online with your credit or debit card

If you're in New Zealand, you can use our online payment gateway to pay with your Visa, Mastercard or debit card.

Pay now

Internet banking

Pay by internet banking

To pay by internet banking, make your payment to Westpac account 03-0726-0330770-00

Make sure you provide the correct details so we can identify your payment:

  • Particulars: dog ID number
  • Analysis code: "DogRego"
  • Reference: owner ID number

For payments from overseas bank accounts, the swift code is WPACNZ2W

In person

Pay in person

You can pay your dog registration in person at our Customer Service Centre on the Square, with cash or debit card. We now also accept credit card payments over the counter, with a surcharge of 1.3% per transaction.

You need to register your dog before it's 3 months old, and then renew the registration every year. The information we collect about your dog goes onto a national register. This helps to identify and locate owners in the case of wandering, lost or stolen dogs. It also helps keep track of dogs who have changed owners or districts, or who have a history of complaints.

Dog registration fees

The annual registration period is 1 July to 30 June.

You can keep your dog registration costs down by:

Registration type  Standard fee 2023-24 Total fee (including penalty) if paid after 31 July 
General registration $165 $247
General registration (desexed dog) $122 $182
Preferred owner $92 $138
Rural working $57 $85
Disability assist  no charge no charge
Certified for use by specified agency  no charge no charge

Dog registration fees are set under the Dog Control Act 1996. Disability assist and specified agency are as defined in section 2 of the Act.

Registering a new dog

You need to register your puppy before it's 3 months old. The following information is also relevant if you've adopted an older dog, or if you've recently moved your dog to Palmerston North.

We're currently working on a simpler way to register new dogs online. In the meantime, we recommend you come and visit us at our Customer Service Centre on the Square and register in person. You can also call us. Phone: 06 356 8199

The annual registration period is 1 July to 30 June. So when you register a new dog with us, you'll only need to pay a part-fee to cover whatever remains of the current registration year.

If your dog is registered in another district and you're transferring it here, you won't need to pay anything until renewals are due.

Who can register a dog

Each dog can only have one registered owner, and you need to be 16 or over. The dog should be registered at the address that it spends the most time at. Dogs moving into town will get free registration if you can provide proof of current registration from another council.

Once your dog is registered you'll get an annual reminder sent to your last known address. If you move house, you need to let us know.

What dog registration pays for

Your dog registration pays for the Council to monitor and enforce the Dog Control Act 1996 and ensure compliance with local dog control bylaws and policies. Our Animal Control team investigate and respond to all reported dog complaints and incidents.

Dog registration pays for:

  • promoting better care and control of Palmerston North's 8,000 dogs
  • promoting community safety
  • encouraging responsible dog ownership
  • protecting dog owner's rights to own a dog by dealing with dog related problems
  • providing dog owners with education on dealing with dog related problems
  • dealing with aggressive and roaming dogs
  • dealing with irresponsible owners
  • patrolling public areas
  • running the preferred owner scheme for responsible dog owners
  • responding to dog complaints and animal nuisances
  • maintaining national dog database records
  • maintaining the dog pound. All impounded dogs are given food, water, shelter and exercise

Penalties for unregistered dogs

It's an offence to have an unregistered dog and all dogs must wear a current registration tag so they can be identified. If your dog is found without the correct registration tag, it will be considered unregistered and could be impounded. The infringement fee for unregistered dogs is $300.