Language Boxes Grid
Arabic
Greek
Spanish
Croatian
Italian
Japanese
Oromo
Somali
Serbian
Thai
Tigrinya
Turkish
Vietnamese
Chinese Simplified
Chinese Traditional
English

Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-2029 has been adopted by Council.

After an extensive community consultation, Yarra City Council has adopted a new Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) 2026-2029 at the Council Meeting on Tuesday 9 September 2025.

We received more than 600 responses during the consultation period, these helped provide clear direction for the revised DAMP. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback online and in-person.

The key themes from the feedback received included:

  • a desire for more education
  • safe and well-maintained areas
  • clearer information about responsible pet ownership and designated areas for pets in open space
  • enhancing the customer experience when registering animals or providing Council feedback or complaints
  • balancing the needs of both park users and pet owners
  • proactive enforcement

This has been reflected within the new DAMP.

You can learn more about the DAMP, read the adopted document and understand how your feedback helped contribute to the final document within the Council Meeting Agenda.

Project background

Calling on all pet owners and non-pet owners in Yarra!

This is your chance to have a say on our draft Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29 (DAMP), which helps us manage dogs and cats in our city.

This document guides:

We know the impact our furry friends have on our community’s lives so we invite you to review the draft Domestic Animal Management Plan 2025-29 before it is considered for adoption by Council.

Read the draft Domestic Animal Management Plan

The draft Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29 will be available for feedback from Monday 19 May to 9am on Monday 16 June 2025

What does the plan do?

Every Council is required by law to develop a Domestic Animal Management Plan every four years in line with the Domestic Animals Act 1994. It provides us with an important tool to promote responsible pet ownership in Yarra and guides pet owners and residents on their rights and responsibilities when it comes to our four-legged friends.

In line with a comprehensive benchmarking process against other Councils, some of the actions we are including in the next DAMP include:

  • Making pet registration easier: Enhancing the pet registration and identification process by simplifying the registration, renewal, and update procedures for pet owners.
  • Encouraging responsible pet ownership: Launching a campaign to educate residents on responsible pet ownership practices.
  • Educating the community on nuisance animals: Reducing public nuisance and risk through public education initiatives.
  • Reducing dog attacks: Reducing dog attacks and education around dog behaviour.
  • Making public spaces more pet-friendly: Improving public spaces to better accommodate pet activities.
  • Empowering our Animal Management Services Team: Strengthening the capabilities of Animal Management Officers to provide enhanced community support, education and enforcement.
  • Exploring a 24-hour cat curfew: Building on our current 7pm to 7am cat curfew, we will explore the feasibility of having a cat curfew that runs 24 hours a day. If feasible and endorsed by Council, this change would require cats to always remain within their registered property boundaries.

Project timeline and Frequently Asked Questions

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Broad community engagement

    Monday 19 May 2025 to Monday 16 June 2025

    This is your chance to have a say on our draft Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29 (DAMP) before it is considered for adoption by Council.

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Review feedback

    July to September 2025

    We will review the feedback from this consultation and make any necessary changes to the Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29.

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Adoption at Council Meeting

    Tuesday 9 September 2025

    After an extensive community consultation, Yarra City Council has adopted a new Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) 2026-2029 at the Council Meeting on Tuesday 9 September 2025.