Walking 5 to 12 dogs in Auckland: the free council certificate, explained by pack walkers

From 1 January 2026 anyone walking more than four dogs at once in Auckland needs a free Certificate of Approval from the council. This guide covers what it asks, how to apply, and how to keep the details an officer can ask for on every stop.

Everything about the rule below is in the council's own words, from its page Apply to walk a group of five to 12 dogs. That page is the one to trust if anything here ever differs from it.

The rule

"From 1 January 2026, anyone walking more than four dogs at one time must apply to us for approval and follow set rules. There is no cost to apply."

• Up to 12 dogs each. "You will be allowed to walk a maximum of 12 dogs at one time. However, two or more people cannot walk more than 24 dogs at one time."
• A certificate by email, for a year. "When your application is approved, we will email you a Certificate of Approval. It is valid for 12 months."
• Every year again. "You will need to re-apply every 12 months."

Who has to apply

The council says you must apply if:

• you run a commercial dog-walking business (your employees or volunteers do not apply separately: the business applies for them);
• you breed, rescue or foster dogs;
• you are a dog owner who walks more than four dogs at one time;
• your details have changed after you were approved.

The conditions

The rules you walk by are in two documents on the council's page:

• Identification rules for approved dog walkers
• Dog Management Bylaw (Multiple Dogs in Council-Controlled Public Places) Control 2025

Between them they cover what you and the dogs must wear to be seen, what equipment you need, how to walk the dogs as a group, and the minimum age and skills for a walker. Read both before you apply.

What an officer can ask for

"A dog control officer can ask you to present your certificate when walking more than four dogs in any public place."

They can also ask for each dog's details:

• the owner's name (if you are not the owner);
• the owner's address;
• the owner's place of work;
• the dog's name.

What the online form asks

1. Your main role: owner or manager of a commercial dog-walking business, dog breeder, fosterer or rescuer, dog owner, or other.
2. The primary applicant: your full legal name as it appears on your photo ID, your business name (N/A if you apply as an individual), address, date of birth, phone and email. The primary applicant is responsible for every walker under the approval following the conditions, and is the one held to account if the council takes action.
3. Each dog walker: full legal name, date of birth, phone, email, and the number of dogs they typically walk at one time.
4. Vehicles: the registration number of every vehicle you use to take dogs to their walks.

Then submit it. There is nothing to pay.

Having the dogs' details on you, on every stop

The officer's question is about the dogs in front of them, out on the walk, not back at your desk. BarkBus was built by New Zealand pack walkers, and it keeps that answer in your pocket:

• Every dog on the day's run, by name. Open Daily run on your phone and each stop shows the dog and the address you collected it from.
• Each owner's name and address, a tap away. They live on the Owner profile, the same details you already use to plan the pickups, so there is no second list to keep up to date.
• Every walker, the same list. Drivers and handlers you add see the run on their own phone, so whoever is out with the pack has the details with them.

BarkBus does not hold an owner's place of work, so keep that alongside your certificate if the officer asks for it.

Start free with BarkBus