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Dog registration

Owning a dog is a pleasure and a privilege.  It also takes care and commitment and comes with many responsibilities, such as the training, housing, feeding and exercising of your pooch. Being respectful of our shared spaces is important, as not everyone loves dogs. 

It's the responsibility of the dog owner to register their dog before it's three months old, and renew registration each year; there is a fee for this. If you live in the Kāpiti Coast District, you must register your dog with the Kāpiti Coast District Council. Dogs registered after 2 August will incur a late fee. If you don't register your dog, you could be prosecuted and fined up to $3,000.

If you are a dog owner in Kāpiti, subscribe to our occasional newsletter. We email this group only when there is important information to share.

See Animal management fees for more information about:

  • how much it costs to register your dog
  • how your dog registration payment is used
  • fines
  • applying for a dog registration late fee waiver
  • fee refunds on the death of a dog.

To register your dog for the first time, you have a number of options:

– Bring it into one of our service centres and pay the fee in person.
– Post your completed registration form to us. See Payments to select the option that suits you to make your payment.

Send completed form to:
Kāpiti Coast District Council
Private Bag 60601
Paraparaumu 5254.

Subscribe to our dog owners' occasional email newsletter (we email this group only when there is important information to share, such as toxic algae alerts).

If you've registered your dog with Kāpiti Coast District Council before, you'll receive a personalised re-registration application form in June. When you receive your re-registration form and invoice in the mail, carefully check all details. This form contains all the information you will need for renewing registration online.

To renew your dog's registration, you can:

  • Use our Online Services Account portal. You'll need a debit or credit card and your dog owner ID (this can be found on your personalised re-registration form, or if you've misplaced it call us).
  • Bring your personalised re-registration form into one of our service centres and pay the fee in person.
  • If you've lost your form, download the Dog owner registration form 2021/22 [PDF 80 KB].
  • Post your completed registration form to us. See Payments to select the option that suits you to make your payment.
    Send registration form to to:
    Kāpiti Coast District Council
    Private Bag 60601
    Paraparaumu 5254.

Check that you've subscribed to our dog owners' occasional email newsletter (we email this group only when there is important information to share, such as toxic algae alerts).

We’re encouraging all dog owners to be environmentally friendly and receive their registration invoices by email, so if you need to update any details, or want to receive your registration invoice electronically, do get in touch. You can email us, call on 0800 486 486, or stop into one of our service centres and talk to one of our friendly staff.
 
You can even update some contact information through our dog owners online portal (you can find the details you need on last year’s registration).

Dog owners who meet certain criteria can apply to be an approved owner, which allows a discount on annual registration fees. You can apply to be an Approved Owner by 1 May, before registration is due.

If your application is approved, your Approved Owner status lasts for the life of your dog (unless they breach any of the conditions outlined on the application form [PDF 342 KB]), or you move property (see the Approved owner re-inspection fee in Animal management fees). Being an Approved Owner has a one-off non-refundable processing fee, and entitles you to discounted registration fees. 

Criteria

To be considered for approved ownership status, you must meet the conditions for approved ownership in sections 6.8–6.10 of the Council's Dog Control Policy 2019 [PDF 423 KB] [PDF 423 KB].

Apply

To apply to be an approved owner:

  1. Complete the application form [PDF 342 KB] [PDF 342 KB] before 1 May for the next registration year.
    Note: applications received after 1 May will be considered in the next registration year. 
  2. Pay the non-refundable processing fee. See Payments for more information.
    Result: You'll receive an email advising that your application has been received.
  3. An Animal Management officer will review your application, and contact you to arrange a property inspection or to clarify any points.
  4. The Animal Management officer will inspect your property.
  5. You'll be advised in writing when a decision has been made.

You can also contact the Animal Management team to discuss further. The Council reserves the right to exercise discretion in granting Approved Owner status.

You must apply for a permit [DOCX 52 KB] to have more than two dogs (over three months old) on a residential property. 

You can:

There are different registration requirements for working and disability assist dogs. See the  for details.