Keeping Animals
Generally residents may keep an unlimited amount of animals as pets, provided they do not cause a nuisance through containment, noise or hygiene issues.
If complaints are submitted to Council and proven, then restrictions on the number and how they are kept may be imposed as Council sees fit.
Restrictions may be considered where the following circumstances exist:
- Containment — the animal is not positively contained. This means that the property has not been provided with fencing or enclosures which will ensure that the type of animal kept on the premises are contained wholly within the property at all times.
- Noise control — where animals kept on the premises are generating offensive noise as defined under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.
- Hygiene — where conditions exist which would unreasonable affect the health and wellbeing of occupants, nearby
residents and the animal. Such conditions may include:
- Accumulation of faeces
- Accumulation of stale, rotten food or bones
- Inadequate disposal of faeces
- Attraction of rodents and flies
- The unreasonable existence of odours
- Inadequate drainage causing animals to be kept or exercised on poorly drained ground surfaces
- Infestations of fleas and ticks or other parasites
- Unreasonable accumulations of hair, fur or skin
Where a problem is identified with the keeping of animals and it cannot be resolved through consultation, Council may issue a Notice of Intention to serve an Order. An Order is an instruction from Council to comply with restrictions imposed. Normally, the animal owner will be given every opportunity to make representation to Council prior to a formal Order being issued. In situations that constitute a serious risk to public health or safety, an emergency Order may be issued without prior notice.
If you are planning to keep animals for commercial purposes then you may be required to obtain development consent from Council. Please contact Blacktown’s Customer Information Centre by phone on 9839-6000 for more information on development consent.
Owning a dog should be a rewarding experience. As the owner you have a responsibility to care for the welfare of your pet. You also have a responsibility to ensure that the keeping of your dog does not adversely interfere with your neighbours.
Please consider the impact your animal may be having on your neighbours should it be causing a nuisance by barking, harassing or roaming. The responsibility for your animals actions rests with you.
Your dog must be microchipped by 12 weeks of age and registered on the Companion Animals Register by 6 months of age. To find out more about animal registrations, click here.
Owning a cat should be a rewarding experience. As the owner you have a responsibility to care for the welfare of your pet. You also have a responsibility to ensure that the keeping of your cat does not adversely interfere with your neighbours.
Please consider the impact your animal may be having on your neighbours should it be causing a nuisance by damaging property or creating offensive noise. The responsibility for your animals actions rests with you.
Unlike other animals, cats are permitted to roam off their owners property. If a cat causes proven noise nuisance or property damage through its roaming, then Council may impose restrictions to stop the nuisance from occuring.
If you got your cat before 1 July 1999, it must have a microchip or collar and ID tag. Your cat does not have to be registered on the Companion Animals Register (Unless there has been a breach of the Act, eg a nuisance order placed or it is taken to a animal pound).
If you got your cat after 1 July 1999, your cat must be chipped by 12 weeks of age and lifetime registered on the Companion Animals Register by 6 months of age. To find out more about animal registrations, click here.
The keeping of roosters in residential areas is discouraged due to the noise nuisance they often create.
If legitimate noise complaints are received against roosters in residential areas, Council may request the rooster(s) to be removed from the property.
As of September 2001, a licence is no longer required to keep domestic rabbits in NSW. It remains illegal to keep wild rabbits in captivity without the approval of the Rural Lands Protection Board.
In order for a rabbit to be kept as a pet, it must be of a recognised domestic breed or hybrid of a domestic breed. In no circumstances is a wild type of rabbit, or hybrid of a wild type, to be kept at the premises.
Rabbits must be kept in a rabbit-proof enclosure and are not permitted to be ‘free-range’.
Rabbits must not be released, abandoned or left in any situation, which would allow them to roam outside of their rabbit-proof enclosure.
Rabbits must not be vaccinated with the fibroma (myxomatosis) vaccine. It is illegal to possess fibroma vaccine. No fibroma vaccine shall be kept or brought onto the premises.
Restrictions on the keeping of rabbits kept are imposed by the NSW Department of Agriculture.
For further information on the keeping of rabbits, please contact the NSW Department of Agriculture.
Any person wishing to keep bees must be registered with the Department of Agriculture www.agric.nsw.gov.au
The Department investigates complaints about nuisance bees, any person enquiring about beekeeping or wishing to make a complaint about nuisance bees should contact the NSW Department of Agriculture.