The state-level rules every owner and walker in Queensland should know. Local leash lengths, licensing and off-leash rules are set by each city — find those on the city pages below.
Queensland dog law runs on the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 plus each council's local laws. Liability for a dog attack falls on the owner AND on the person responsible for the dog at the time — that is the walker — and a regulated dog (declared dangerous or menacing, or a restricted breed) must be muzzled and leashed in public and may be handled only by a physically capable adult controlling just that one dog.
Queensland's core statute is the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, administered by local councils. Liability for a dog does not sit only with the registered owner: it reaches whoever is the responsible person for the dog at the time — the person who owns the dog or has it in their possession or control. On a walk that is the walker. The state also strengthened the attack offences: the most serious dog-attack offences now carry penalties of up to $120,890, with the option of imprisonment for up to 3 years [VERIFY: confirm current maximum penalty figure to qld.gov.au / legislation.qld.gov.au]. On top of the criminal exposure a person injured by a dog can bring a civil negligence claim. Both routes can reach the walker, so liability insurance covering dogs in your care is essential.
A regulated dog is a dog a council has declared dangerous or menacing, or a dog of a restricted (prohibited) breed. The owner needs a permit and must comply with strict conditions: microchip and register the dog; fit the distinctive yellow-and-red striped collar; muzzle a declared-dangerous or restricted dog whenever it is in a public place; keep it in a council-approved, child-proof enclosure it cannot escape from; and display a warning sign at each entrance to the property. Crucially, in a public place the dog must be under effective control by a physically capable adult who is controlling no more than one dog at the same time — that is a hard limit a walker must know. Declared-dangerous dogs must also be desexed. A walker should never take on a regulated dog without seeing the permit and handling it strictly to these conditions.
Under the Act it is illegal to own or be responsible for a restricted (prohibited) breed without a reasonable excuse. From 28 August 2024 the prohibited breeds are the American Pit Bull Terrier / Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, and Perro de Presa Canario (Presa Canario). These dogs are treated as regulated dogs, so where one is lawfully kept it must be muzzled and leashed in public, kept in an approved enclosure, and handled by a capable adult controlling only that one dog. A walker should check any dog that resembles a restricted type, confirm the permit and conditions, and be ready to decline the job.
Microchipping is compulsory: cats and dogs must be microchipped by the person selling or giving them away, generally between 8 and 12 weeks of age. Every dog must be registered with its local council, and you must register within 14 days of moving into a new council area. There is no state dog licence beyond council registration. Everything else — leash areas, off-leash areas, prohibited and seasonal beach zones, waste pick-up, and fines — is set by each council's local law (for example Brisbane's Animals Local Law 2017), and councils use a penalty-unit system, so fine amounts differ by area and rise over time. A walker must check the local law and current signage for every area they work. [VERIFY: exact registration fees and fine amounts vary by council and should be confirmed to the relevant council site.]
This is general information about Queensland law, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the official state and municipal sources.