Pets and Animals

All animals kept in the Adelaide Hills Council district must be managed in a healthy and considered way. To help you do this, Council issues guidelines for animal management. Our planning staff, Ranger Services and Environmental Health Officers are all involved in various aspects of animal management.

Council's Animal Management Plan 2018–22 outlines strategies for the management of dogs and cats as required of Councils under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995, as well as other animals of significance to the Adelaide Hills community.

Under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 microchipping of dogs and cats is compulsory. Desexing is also compulsory for all dogs and cats born after 1 July 2018 (exemptions exist for working dogs, registered breeders etc).

Since 1 July 2018, one central database (DACO) was introduced to capture dog and cat registrations, desexing and microchip details in South Australia.

To report your dog as lost, please contact our office on (08) 8408 0400.

Details of your dog's breed, appearance and name will be entered into the Lost Dog Register, along with your details so you can be contacted if the dog is found wandering at large.

Please also check our impounded dog page to identify whether your dog may already be in our care.

There are guidelines for keeping domestic poultry, including chickens, geese, turkeys, and ducks, including details of dwelling structure and position in relation to roads and other properties.

Council recommends residents in townships refrain from keeping roosters due to their noise disruptions.

Click here for a fact sheet about keeping poultry in the Adelaide Hills.

If you are considering keeping any livestock in a domestic residential area, for commercial purposes or as a hobby farm, please contact our planning staff to discuss.

Wild animals are usually best left alone, however an injured animal may be helped.

Specialist advice and assistance should be sought from Fauna Rescue SA.

There are a number of pests present in the Adelaide Hills including bats, rats and mice, mosquitos, and the very serious European Wasp.

See our information about pests for recommendations on how to manage these.

Several introduced animals pose significant threats to biodiversity across the Adelaide Hills region.

See our information about threats to biodiversity for more information about feral animals.