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Section 11 Companion Animals Act 1998
Failing to Notify Changes and Events

If you own a cat or dog, s 11 of the Companion Animals Act requires you to notify your local council of any changes to your pet’s circumstances.

Your local council will then ensure that the NSW Companion Animals Register is notified and updated of any changes. This is an electronic database of cats and dogs which contains contact information for your pet, as well as any other important information.

You are required to notify your local council of any changes to your pet’s circumstances if they are a cat or dog, including working dogs or other dogs which are not strictly considered to be ‘pets’ or ‘companion animals’.

The types of circumstances and events that you must report include:

  • Changes in the animal’s registration or identification information – for example, if you sell or give away the pet to someone else, if you change address, or if your contact details change. You must notify your local council within 14 days of the changes.
  • If your dog has been declared by the court to be a dangerous or menacing dog, or if a dangerous or menacing dog declaration has been revoked – you must notify your local council within 7 days of the dangerous/menacing dog declaration being made or revoked.
  • If your pet dies – you must notify your local council within 28 days of the animal’s death.
  • If your pet has been missing for more than 72 hours – you must notify your local council within 96 hours of the animal going missing.
  • If an animal that you previously reported as being missing is found – you must give notification to your local council within 72 hours of the animal being found.
  • Any other significant or ‘notifiable’ events. 

These laws are designed to benefit you and your pet by ensuring that accurate information is maintained. Correct and accurate information can help speed up the search process if your pet goes missing and ensures that you are reunited with your pet as soon as possible if it is found.

If you fail to tell your council of any changes in your pet’s circumstances, you could be fined $880, or $5,500 if your dog is a dangerous, menacing or restricted dog.

If you’ve been wrongly fined or charged under s 11 of the Companion Animals Act, our experienced animal law experts can advise you of your options and how to fight the charges.

Our in-depth knowledge and experience of animal law has allowed us to help other clients avoid heavy fines and other unduly harsh penalties.

Section 11 of the Companion Animals Act 1998 is Failing to Notify Changes and Events and is extracted below.

For expert advice and outstanding representation from Australia’s leading Companion Animals Act lawyers, call Sydney Criminal Lawyers® today on (02) 9261 8881 and let our experienced defence lawyers help you.

The Legislation

11 Owner required to notify certain changes and events 

(1) The owner of an identified companion animal (whether or not it is registered) must notify the Director-General when any of the following happens:
(a) any change occurs in the registration information or identification information for the animal (notification must be given within 14 days after the change occurs),
(b) the making or revocation of a declaration by a court under Part 5 that the animal (being a dog) is dangerous (notification must be given within 7 days after the declaration is made or revoked),
(c) the animal dies (notification must be given within 28 days after the animal dies),
(d) the animal has been missing for more than 72 hours (notification must be given within 96 hours after the animal went missing),
(d1) the animal has been found after having been reported missing (notification must be given within 72 hours after the animal is found),
(e) any other event prescribed as a notifiable event by the regulations. Maximum penalty:
(a) 8 penalty units except in the case of a dangerous, menacing or restricted dog, or
(b) 50 penalty units in the case of a dangerous, menacing or restricted dog.

(2) The regulations may provide for the manner in which a notification under this section is to be given to the Director-General. Notification is not considered to have been given unless it is given in compliance with any such applicable provisions of the regulations.

(3) When the Director-General is notified of a change in registration information, the Director-General is to provide the registered owner of the animal with a certificate of registration free of charge showing the registration information as changed. If the change is a change of ownership, the certificate of registration is to be provided to the new owner.

(4) A person who in any notification given for the purposes of this section makes a statement or gives information that the person knows is false or misleading in a material particular is guilty of an offence. Maximum penalty: 8 penalty units.

Why Choose Sydney Criminal Lawyers®?

Going to court can be nerve-racking, but having a strong and compassionate legal team behind you can make the experience significantly easier to deal with. Here are 12 reasons to choose our multi-award winning legal team:

  1. Proven Track Record of Exceptional Results

    Sydney Criminal Lawyers® consistently achieves outcomes which are in the highest percentile of the Judicial Commission’s sentencing statistics for criminal cases.

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    Where our clients wish to plead guilty, we frequently achieve ‘dismissals’ and ‘non convictions’ in cases where other lawyers have advised there is no chance of doing so.

  2. Highest Level of Client Satisfaction

    We have the best and most comprehensive client review record of any law firm in Australia.

    Regular communication, accessibility and quality service are our team’s highest priorities.

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  3. Australia’s Most Awarded Criminal Law Firm

    We have received more awards and accolades than any other criminal law firm in Australia. Our team has been awarded “Criminal Defence Firm of the Year in Australia” in a number of prestigious and competitive awards programs for several years running.

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  4. Fixed Fees

    We want our clients to know exactly how much their cases will cost from the very start. That’s why we were the first criminal law firm in Australia to publish ‘fixed fees’, back in 2004.

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  5. Free First Appointment

    For those who are going to court, we offer a free first conference of up to an hour with one of our Senior Criminal Defence Lawyers.

    We also offer a free first conference to those who have received an unsatisfactory result after being represented in court by another law firm, or after representing themselves, and wish to appeal.

  6. Specialist Lawyer Guarantee

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  7. All NSW Courts

    From Bombala to Broken Hill, our lawyers appear in courts throughout New South Wales – and across Australia for Commonwealth cases.

    And we offer fixed fees for most criminal and traffic law cases throughout the state.

  8. Accredited Specialists

    Our entire firm is exclusively dedicated to criminal law – which makes us true specialists.

    All of our lawyers have years of experience representing clients in criminal cases, and our principal has been certified by the Law Society of NSW as an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 2005.

    An ‘Accredited Specialist’ is a lawyer who has practised for at least 5 years in a particular field of law (such as criminal law), has passed a rigorous assessment process conducted by the Law Society of NSW, and has been selected by the Specialist Accreditation Committee of the Law Society as an expert in the field.

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    Our firm’s specialist experience ensures you receive the best possible result, whatever your criminal law case may be.

  9. Results-Focused Law Firm

    Our team is passionate about achieving results, and unlike many other law firms, our lawyers do not have monthly financial ‘budgets’ to meet.

    The absence of budgets means our lawyers are entirely focused on achieving optimal results in the shortest space of time; whether by getting charges dropped or downgraded at an early stage or having cases ‘thrown out of court’.

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  10. Team of Lawyers Behind You

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  11. Familiar with Magistrates and Judges

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  12. Convenience

    We have offices in locations across the Sydney Metropolitan Area and beyond, including:

    • the Sydney CBD, on Castlereagh Street, directly opposite Downing Centre Court,
    • Liverpool, directly opposite Liverpool Local Court, and
    • Parramatta, near the justice precinct.

    We offer free parking at our Sydney CBD and Liverpool locations, and all of our offices are close to train stations and bus terminals.

    For those who are unable to attend our offices, we offer conferences by telephone, Skye and FaceTime anywhere around the world.

    If you are going to court and wish to arrange a free first consultation, call our 24 hour hotline on (02) 9261 8881 or send us an email at info@sydneycriminallawyers.com.au.

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