South Australian Consolidated Acts

DOG AND CAT MANAGEMENT ACT 1995 - SECT 26

26—Council responsibility for management of dogs

        (1)         Each council is required to administer and enforce the provisions of this Act relating to dogs within its area and for that purpose must—

            (a)         maintain a register of dogs containing the information required by the Board (which may be kept in the form of a computer record) that is to be readily available for public inspection; and

            (ab)         ensure that the Board is provided with information contained in the register as required by the Board from time to time; and

            (b)         appoint a suitable person to be Registrar; and

            (c)         make satisfactory arrangements for issuing and replacing certificates of registration and registration discs; and

            (d)         appoint at least one full-time dog management officer or make other satisfactory arrangements for the exercise of the functions and powers of dog management officers; and

            (e)         make satisfactory arrangements for the detention of dogs seized under this Act; and

            (f)         make satisfactory arrangements for fulfilling other obligations under this Act.

        (2)         The arrangements made by a council under this section must be satisfactory to the Board.

        (3)         Money received by a council under this Act must be expended in the administration or enforcement of the provisions of this Act relating to dogs.

        (4)         Each council must keep separate accounts of money received under this Act and of money expended in the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this Act relating to dogs.

        (5)         A council must pay into the Fund the percentage fixed by regulation of the dog registration fees received by the council.

        (6)         Councils may charge—

            (a)         fees for the provision of extracts from registers kept under this Act; and

            (b)         fees (which may be differential) approved by the Minister—

                  (i)         for the registration of dogs or businesses under Part 5; and

                  (ii)         for late payment of registration fees; and

                  (iii)         for meeting any other requirement imposed on councils under this Act.

        (7)         Without limiting the matters that may be taken into account when setting fees to be approved by the Minister, councils must provide for a percentage rebate of the fee that would otherwise be charged for the registration of a dog in the following cases:

            (a)         if the dog is desexed;

            (b)         if—

                  (i)         the dog has been implanted with a microchip for the purposes of identification; and

                  (ii)         the information contained in the microchip is up-to-date;

            (c)         if the dog has passed a specified training program accredited by the Board,

(and, if more than one rebate applies in respect of a particular dog, the rebates are to be aggregated and deducted from the registration fee that would otherwise be charged).