summary

Every resident keeping a dog or cat older than six months must apply for an individual municipal permit from the City, pay a prescribed permit fee, and furnish a valid rabies inoculation certificate.

The number of pets permitted per property is capped by erf size and dwelling type:

• • Flats & Sectional Title Units: Maximum 2 dogs.
  • Standard Residential Erven (<600 m2) : Maximum 3 dogs.
  • Large Residential Erven (> 600 m2): Maximum 4 dogs.
  • Residential Properties (all categories): Maximum 4 cats.
  • Agricultural Land: Maximum 6 dogs and 6 cats

Keeping animals beyond the prescribed limit requires a special permit, an official premises inspection, and written letters of support from at least two directly adjacent neighbours.

All dogs and cats over six months must be surgically sterilised unless the owner pays for an exemption permit. All dogs and cats must be microchipped or wear a collar with contact details

Section 42 empowers authorised municipal officials to search private premises, vehicles, and structures without a warrant if they believe a warrant would be granted and delay would defeat the search.

Sets strict welfare rules prohibiting working equines from operating in temperatures exceeding 30°C, capping pulling loads to double the animal’s weight, mandating hourly water rests, and banning the tethering or chaining of security guard dogs.

Completely bans roosters and pigs on residential erven. Restricts residential chicken keeping to a maximum of 5 hens without a permit, and requires approved architectural building plans with municipal setback lines for rabbit hutches, poultry coops, and bird aviaries.

Requires a written application submitted 14 days in advance to City Health, written proof of prior notification to adjacent neighbours, and complete screening from public and neighbour view.

Completely bans the sale, placement, and use of adhesive or glue traps, and prohibits wild animals in circus performances.

It is a comprehensive regulatory framework published by the City of Cape Town that sets mandatory rules for owning, housing, caring for, breeding, selling, and impounding companion animals (dogs and cats), working equines (cart horses), security dogs, livestock, poultry, birds, rabbits, and bees. It repeals the Animal By-law, 2021.

Public participation opened on 28 August 2026 and closes on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.

No. It applies to domestic pets, guard dogs, working cart horses, commercial kennels, pet shops, grooming parlours, farm livestock, poultry, caged birds, racing pigeons, rabbits, wild animals, and honeybees.

Yes, as currently drafted. Under Section 2(5) and Section 3(5), anyone keeping a dog or cat older than six months must apply to the City for a permit for every single animal. The application must include the prescribed fee and proof of a valid rabies inoculation.

The draft establishes strict property-based limits (Section 2 & 3):

• • Flats / Dwelling Units (including sectional titles): Maximum 2 dogs.
  • Standard Dwelling Houses (erf ≤ 600m²): Maximum 3 dogs.
  • Large Houses (erf > 600m²): Maximum 4 dogs.
  • Agricultural Properties: Maximum 6 dogs.
  • Cats: Maximum 4 cats on any residential property; maximum 6 cats on agricultural land.

You will be forced to apply for an “excess animal permit” under Section 4. This process involves paying a fee, undergoing a municipal premises inspection, checking for past cruelty convictions, and obtaining written letters of support from at least two directly adjacent neighbours if requested by the inspector.

Yes. Under Section 5(1), all dogs and cats over six months of age must be surgically sterilised unless the owner applies for and obtains a municipal exemption permit. Authorised officials can also cause unsterilised stray or seized animals to be spayed/neutered at the owner’s expense.

Yes. Dogs and cats must either wear a collar and tag with contact details or be microchipped with the owner’s updated details registered on an active database. Any stray animal claimed from a municipal pound must be microchipped prior to release at the owner’s cost.

Dogs must be kept on a leash and under control in all public streets and public open spaces, unless the specific park or beach has been formally designated by Council signage as a “free-running” (off-leash) area. Dog owners are legally required to carry bags and immediately remove and dispose of their dog’s excrement (guide dog handlers are exempt).

Section 14 and Section 15 introduce landmark welfare standards:

• • No working an equine in extreme heat exceeding 30°C.
  • Handlers must be at least 18 years of age and not intoxicated.
  • Compulsory hourly rest breaks with access to clean drinking water.
  • Maximum pulling weight capped at double the equine’s body weight (including the cart).
  • Animal-drawn vehicles must display a visible registration plate and comply with SABS harnessing standards.
  • Both the driver (“operator’s permit”) and the horse (“equine permit”) must be licensed.

Under Section 16, security and working dogs must be registered with PSIRA. They cannot be chained or tethered on any site. When not on patrol, they must be housed in an enclosure measuring at least 4m x 2m x 1.8m with a weatherproof kennel and constant water. A qualified handler must be present on site; guard dogs may not be left locked up alone without handler supervision.

Yes. Section 13(4) completely bans the use, placement, and commercial sale of any adhesive or glue trap within the City of Cape Town.

You can keep up to 5 chicken hens without a permit. If you want to keep more than 5 chickens, you must apply for a permit and submit approved building plans for the coop. Roosters are completely banned on residential properties to prevent noise nuisances. Poultry coops must be set back at least 3m from boundaries and dwellings, and 50m from any water source.

Pigs are completely banned on all residential premises. Keeping sheep or goats requires a municipal permit. Large livestock (horses, cattle, donkeys) are only permitted on properties 4,000m² or larger, with a strict limit of 2 large animals per 4,000m² (and 1 additional animal per extra 2,000m²).

Under Section 27(2), keeping any rabbits or more than 5 caged birds on residential premises requires a municipal permit and approved building plans for the hutches or aviaries, including a 3-metre boundary setback and concrete flooring.

Beekeepers must hold a municipal permit, be registered with the Department of Agriculture, and belong to a beekeepers’ association. Hives must be set back at least 5m from property boundaries, 50m from public places and animal enclosures, and surrounded by a 1.5m high wall or fence with a permanent water source within 5m. The City may prohibit hives within 400m of schools, clinics, or churches.

Ritual slaughter outside of registered abattoirs remains permitted for religious, cultural, ceremonial, or personal consumption purposes under Section 36, but applicants must submit a written application to City Health 14 days in advance, provide written proof that adjacent neighbours were notified, hold the animal for no more than 48 hours, and ensure the slaughter is completely screened from public or neighbour view.

Under Section 42, an authorised law enforcement officer can conduct a search of any premises, vehicle, or structure without a warrant if they reasonably believe a warrant would be granted under Section 41 and the delay of applying for one would defeat the object of the search.

Under Section 39, anyone contravening the By-law or failing to comply with a written notice is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine, imprisonment for up to two years, or both.