Night-time cat rules for the City of Melbourne.

Yes. Since 1 October 2025 the council has run a night-time cat curfew, so your cat has to be kept on your property between 6pm and 8am. Cats are also banned at all times from the city's waterways, riverine areas and 14 major parks and gardens unless they are with you on a harness and lead or in a carrier. A fully enclosed cat run is the easy way to keep your cat safely on the property and meet the curfew without shutting it indoors.

Yes. Cats need to be registered with the council once they reach three months old, and registration is renewed every year by 10 April. Your cat has to be microchipped before you can register it. Fees are set each year, and the council has waived registration for the 2026-27 period, but you still have to renew by the due date. Check the council's pet registration page for the current details.

Yes to both. As of 1 October 2025 all cats in the City of Melbourne must be desexed. Every cat also needs a microchip before it can be registered, which is the state-wide rule under the Domestic Animals Act 1994. If your cat cannot be desexed for a health reason, check with the council about your options.

The council sets a limit, and you may need a permit to keep more than a set number of cats, so it is worth checking the exact figure with them before you take on another. Because so much of the municipality is apartments, tighter limits or extra rules can apply depending on where you live. If you are planning a multi-cat household, contact the council's animal management team first.

The enclosure itself does not need an animal permit. What can be triggered is a building permit, and as a general Victorian guide a freestanding cat run under 10 square metres of floor area and under 3 metres high usually does not need one. Attached, larger or taller structures can need a permit, and heritage overlays are common across inner Melbourne, so check with the council before you build.

As a general Victorian guide, a freestanding enclosure under 10 square metres and under 3 metres high usually sits below the building-permit threshold, and if it is within a metre of a boundary it needs to be under 2.4 metres high. Bigger or attached builds, or anything in a heritage or other planning overlay, can change that. We design cat runs to sit inside these limits where we can, but it is best to confirm the specifics with the council.

If your cat is out during the curfew or roaming off your property, council officers can investigate, and the council hires out cat traps where roaming is a repeat problem. A trapped cat is either reunited with its owner or taken to The Lost Dogs Home in North Melbourne, and you can be charged the housing fees and face fines. Keeping your cat contained on the property avoids all of that.

Often yes, but you will need the right permission first. A lot of the City of Melbourne is apartments, so a window or balcony enclosure that keeps your cat safe without altering the building is usually the best fit, and you will generally need sign-off from your owners corporation and, if you rent, your landlord. We build free-standing and non-invasive designs to suit strata and rental setups, and we are happy to help you put a request to the owners corporation.

A fully enclosed catio keeps your cat safely on your property, which is exactly what containment rules ask for, while still giving them fresh air and the sounds and smells of outside. We build a range of escape-proof enclosures, from a discreet patio catio to a side run or netting over the whole backyard, so there's an option to suit your home. Build a quote to get started.

Yes, we build custom catios right across greater Melbourne, including the City of Melbourne. If you're not sure you're in range, get in touch and we'll let you know.

Always confirm the current rules with the council directly via the City of Melbourne website (opens in a new tab). The guide above is research we've collated to help you get started, not legal advice, see the note at the foot of this page.