New Zealand Acts

DOG CONTROL ACT 1996 - SECT 37

37 Territorial authority to set fees

1 The dog control fees payable to a territorial authority shall be those reasonable fees prescribed by resolution of that authority for the registration and control of dogs under this Act.

2 Any resolution made under subsection (1) may—

a) fix fees for neutered dogs that are lower than the fee for dogs that have not been neutered:

b) fix fees for working dogs that are lower than the fee for any other dog, and may limit the number of working dogs owned by any person which qualify for lower fees under this section:

c) fix different fees for the various classes of working dogs:

d) fix fees for dogs under a specified age (not exceeding 12 months) that are lower than the fee that would otherwise be payable for those dogs:

e) fix, for any dog that is registered by any person who demonstrates to the satisfaction of any dog control officer that that person has a specified level of competency in terms of responsible dog ownership, a fee that is lower than the fee that would otherwise be payable for that dog:

f) fix by way of penalty, subject to subsection (3), an additional fee, for the registration on or after the first day of the second month of the registration year or such later date as the authority may fix, of any dog that was required to be registered on the first day of that registration year:

g) fix a fee for the issue of a replacement registration label or disc for any dog.

3 Any additional fee by way of penalty fixed under subsection (2)(f) shall not exceed 50% of the fee that would have been payable if the dog had been registered on the first day of the registration year.

4 In prescribing fees under this section, the territorial authority shall have regard to the relative costs of the registration and control of dogs in the various categories described in paragraphs (a) to (e) of subsection (2), and such other matters as the territorial authority considers relevant.

5 Where any 2 or more territorial authorities have formed a joint standing or joint special committee in accordance with section 7 , the resolution of that committee under subsection (1) may fix different fees in respect of dogs kept in the different districts, having regard to the costs of registration and dog control in the districts concerned.

6 The territorial authority shall, at least once during the month preceding the start of every registration year, publicly notify in a newspaper circulating in its district the dog control fees fixed for the registration year.

7 Failure by the territorial authority to give the public notice required by subsection (6), or the occurrence of any error or misdescription in such public notice, shall not affect the liability of any person to comply with this Act or to pay any fee that is prescribed by the territorial authority under subsection (1).

8 No increase in the dog control fees for any year shall come into effect other than at the commencement of that year.

9 This section shall come into force on the day on which this Act receives the Royal assent.

Note: 1982 No 42 s 49 ; 1990 No 27 s 44