Dog Management Policy

The City of Hobart is responsible for managing dogs in its municipal area. We operate within the Dog Control Act 2000 and have recently adopted an updated Dog Management Policy 2019-2023(PDF, 181KB). The policy regulates the use of public areas by pet and non-pet owners aiming to encourage a happy, caring, safe and mutually respectful environment.

The new policy has been developed as a result of an 18-month community consultation period. It provides information on a variety of things including the code of responsible dog ownership, the provision of declared areas such as off-lead, on-lead, training, prohibited and restricted areas as well as guidance on how to register a dog or apply for a kennel licence.

Read the City of Hobart Dog Management Policy 2019-2023.(PDF, 181KB)

Declared areas

To protect the urban and natural environment, the City of Hobart has established the following areas:

Prohibited public areas

A person must not take a dog into:

  • any grounds of a school, preschool, kindergarten, creche or other place for the reception of children without the permission of a person in charge of the place
  • any shopping centre or any shop
  • the grounds of a public swimming pool
  • any playing area of a sportsground on which sport is being played
  • any area within 10 metres of a children's playground.

Prohibited areas

  • All areas that provide sensitive habitat for wildlife other than on-lead on managed tracks and trails or off-lead areas where designated, and:
  • Beaumaris Zoo
  • Blinking Billy Beach, extending from frontage adjacent to 676A Sandy Bay Road to frontage adjacent to 712 Sandy Bay Road
  • Cornelian Bay – from the restaurant to the boat sheds including the playground except on formed track
  • Cartwright Point Reserve, Sandy Bay – area above Sandy Bay Road
  • New Town Bay Reserve – wetlands
  • Red Chapel Beach, Sandy Bay
  • Ten (10) metres from any creek or rivulet edge except on formal tracks and trails.
  • All bushland reserves other than on-lead on managed tracks and trails or off-lead areas where designated.
  • Battery area at Alexander Battery
  • Cenotaph and Surrounds
  • Elizabeth Mall, Elizabeth Street (between Collins and Liverpool Streets)
  • Intercity cycleway - Regatta Grounds to municipal boundary
  • Long Beach, Sandy Bay
  • Marieville Esplanade – grassed area between the entrance to the boat sheds and the Royal Hobart Yacht Club
  • Mawson Place – whilst events are being held
  • McRobies Road Gully – 10 metre exclusion zone around the perimeter of the waste management site
  • North Hobart Skate Park
  • Regatta Grounds when being used for a community activity
  • Reids Track (Wellington Park)
  • Salamanca Market and Salamanca Square during market hours of 5.30am and 3.00pm
  • Soldiers Memorial Community Hub
  • Sports facilities - North Hobart, New Town, TCA, Queenborough oval and surrounds, New Town Netball Centre, Doone Kennedy Aquatic Centre and surrounds, and the Domain Athletics Centre
  • Waterworks Reserve – due to TasWater operations and sensitive wildlife habitat
  • Wellington Court including the Bank Arcade
  • Any area of Wellington Park with the exception of approved walking tracks, roads and vehicular tracks in the Recreation Zone (defined as the lower eastern foothills of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, below Pinnacle Road from The Springs to the Old Hobartians Track), but not including:
  • The Silver Falls Track (from the Pipeline Track to Middle Track)
  • North South Track (Shoobridge bend to Old Hobartians Track)
  • Lost World Track
  • The Springs Zone (unless making a connection to approved tracks and trails)
  • The Pinnacle Zone (unless the dog is confined within a vehicle).

Off-lead exercise areas

  • Alexandra Battery, Churchill Avenue, Sandy Bay – Alexandra Battery except the Battery, the lookout and the car park
  • Blinking Billy Point Reserve, Sandy Bay
  • Cartwright Point Reserve, Sandy Bay – area below Sandy Bay Road
  • Churchill Avenue, Sandy Bay – open space adjoining Churchill Avenue
  • Cornelian Bay – the foreshore car park to Cornelian Bay Point
  • John Turnbull Dog Park, Lenah Valley
  • Kalang Avenue Reserve, Lenah Valley
  • MacFarlane Street, South Hobart – public open space over footbridge alongside the Hobart Rivulet (linear park track on-lead). Entry off Tara or MacFarlane Streets
  • Queens Domain – The Wireless Station (area bounded by the Summit Loop Road) and mowed area to the east of the summit loop road, and the area between the Doone Kenndy Hobart Aquatic Centre and the Domain Tennis Centre
  • Rangeview Crescent Reserve, Lenah Valley
  • Regatta Grounds except when used for a community activity
  • Ridgeway – old recreation oval (track to oval on-lead)
  • Ross Patent Slip, Battery Point – grassed area off Napoleon Street
  • Short Beach and Errol Flynn Reserve, Marieville Esplanade, Sandy Bay
  • Skyline Reserve – area off 27 Brinsmead Road, Mt Nelson
  • Sports fields when sport is not being played or activities undertaken
  • Surrounds of sports fields except where prohibited
  • Wellesley Park, South Hobart – area below the sports field.

On-lead exercise areas

  • All road pathways and road related areas within the municipal area
  • Dogs can only be exercised on-lead on managed tracks and trails, and grassed areas in all Council parks, reserves and bushland areas where indicated
  • Ancanthe Gardens, Lenah Valley
  • Bridge of Remembrance
  • Franklin Square
  • Mathers Place
  • New Town Bay Reserve
  • John Turnbull Park and John Turnbull Oval
  • Salamanca Lawns
  • Radfords Track (Wellington Park)
  • St Davids Park
  • Wellington Park – unless otherwise sign posted or notified, exercise of dogs on-lead is permitted on approved walking tracks, roads and vehicular tracks in the Recreation Zone (defined as the lower eastern foothills of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, below Pinnacle Road from the Springs to the Old Hobartians Track), but not including:
    • The Silver Falls Track (from the Pipeline Track to Middle Track)
    • North-South Track (Shoobridge bend to Old Hobartians Track)
    • Lost World Track;
    • The Springs Zone (unless making a connection to other approved tracks and trails); and
    • The Pinnacle Zone (unless the dog is confined within a vehicle) 
  • The Pipeline Track (between Fern Tree and the municipal boundary). Note: the Pipeline Track extends into the Kingborough municipality.

Restricted areas

Parks

Dogs are permitted off-lead from 7.00 pm to 9.00 am during daylight savings time and between 3.00 pm and 9.00 am at all other times. Dogs are permitted on-lead between 9.00 am and 7.00 pm during daylight savings time and between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm at all other times.

  • Princes Park
  • Cascade Gardens
  • Fitzroy Gardens
  • Soundy Park
  • Benjafield Terrace

 

Girrabong Play Area

Dogs are permitted off-lead between 9.00 am to 7:00 pm. Dogs are prohibited between 7:00 pm to 9:00 am.

Nutgrove Beach

Dogs are permitted off-lead between 6.00 pm and 10.00 am during daylight savings time and between 3.00 pm and 10.00 am at all other times. Dogs are permitted on-lead between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm during daylight savings time and between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm at all other times.

Knocklofty Reserve

Tracks and trails in the area between Forest Road car park, Poets Road, Fielding Drive reservoir and the walking track to the west.

Dogs are permitted on-lead between 8.00 pm and 6.00 am during daylight savings time and between 5.00 pm and 7.00 am at all other times.

Dogs are permitted off-lead between 6.00 am and 8.00 pm during daylight savings time and between 7.00 am and 5.00 pm at all other times.

All other areas of Knocklofty Reserve are on-lead at all times.

Training areas

Soldiers Memorial Oval (formally, the Domain Cross Roads Oval) is declared as an off-lead dog training area during dog training hours.