{"id":"cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013","name":"Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013","slug":"cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":174238,"registerId":"wa-cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nCat Act 2011\n\nCat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013\n\nWestern Australia\n\nCat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013\n\nContents\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. Commencement 1\n\n3. These regulations operate as local laws 1\n\n4. Terms used 1\n\n5. Number of cats not to include cats under 6 months of age 2\n\n6. Offence to keep more than standard number of cats 2\n\n7. Limits on number of cats kept at certain premises 3\n\n8. Application to keep additional number of cats 3\n\n9. Grant of approval to keep additional number of cats 4\n\n10. Duration of approval 4\n\n11. Review by the State Administrative Tribunal 4\n\n12. Transitional arrangements in certain circumstances 5\n\n13. Infringement notices 6\n\n14. Objection: prescribed form 6\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 7\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nCat Act 2011\n\nCat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\n\t\tThese regulations are the *Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013*.\n\n##### 2. Commencement\n\nThese regulations come into operation as follows —\n\n(a) regulations 1 and 2 — on the day on which these regulations are published in the *Gazette*;\n\n(b) the rest of the regulations — on the day after that day.\n\n##### 3. These regulations operate as local laws\n\nUnder section 77 of the Act, these regulations apply as if they were local laws made by each local government.\n\n##### 4. Terms used\n\n(1) In these regulations —\n\nadditional number of cats, in relation to prescribed premises, means a number of cats that is in addition to the standard number of cats for the premises;\n\napproval means approval granted under regulation 9 to keep an additional number of cats;\n\nmember of a cat organisation means a person referred to in the *Cat Regulations 2012* regulation 23(c);\n\nprescribed premises means premises to which a local law applies that limits the number of cats that may be kept at those premises;\n\nstandard number of cats, in relation to prescribed premises, means —\n\n(a) if a member of a cat organisation is not ordinarily resident at the premises, the number of cats that may be kept at the premises under the local law that applies to the premises; or\n\n(b) if a member of a cat organisation is ordinarily resident at the premises, the number of cats referred to in regulation 7.\n\n(2) The reference to a local law in the definition of ***prescribed premises*** includes a reference to a local law made under the *Local Government Act 1995* that has effect under regulation 12(2) as if it were a local law made under the Act.\n\n##### 5. Number of cats not to include cats under 6 months of age\n\nFor the purposes of these regulations a cat that is under 6 months of age is not to be included when calculating the number of cats ordinarily kept at prescribed premises.\n\n##### 6. Offence to keep more than standard number of cats\n\n(1) A person who is ordinarily resident at prescribed premises must ensure that the number of cats ordinarily kept at the premises is not more than the standard number of cats for the premises.\n\nPenalty: a fine of $5 000.\n\n(2) It is a defence to a charge under subregulation (1) to prove that —\n\n(a) approval for an additional number of cats is in effect in respect of the premises; and\n\n(b) the total number of cats ordinarily kept at the premises is less than or equal to the sum of —\n\n(i) the standard number of cats for the premises; and\n\n(ii) the additional number of cats referred to in the approval.\n\n(3) Subregulation (1) does not apply to premises that are operated by an organisation referred to in the *Cat Regulations 2012* regulation 9.\n\n##### 7. Limits on number of cats kept at certain premises\n\nIf a member of a cat organisation is ordinarily resident at prescribed premises, the number of cats that may be kept at the premises is 3 times the number of cats that could be kept at the premises under the local law that applies to the premises.\n\n##### 8. Application to keep additional number of cats\n\n(1) A person who is ordinarily resident at prescribed premises in a local government district may apply to the local government of that district for approval to keep an additional number of cats at the premises.\n\n(2) An application is to be made in the manner and form determined by the chief executive officer of the local government.\n\n(3) A local government to which an application is made may require the applicant to give the local government, within a specified time of not more than 21 days, any document or information that it requires to determine the application and may require the applicant to verify the information by statutory declaration.\n\n(4) The local government may refuse to consider an application if the applicant does not comply with a requirement under subregulation (3) within the specified time.\n\n##### 9. Grant of approval to keep additional number of cats\n\n(1) On receiving an application under regulation 8, the local government must —\n\n(a) grant or refuse approval for the additional number of cats specified in the application to be kept at the prescribed premises; or\n\n(b) grant approval for an additional number of cats that is less than the number specified in the application to be kept at the prescribed premises.\n\n(2) A local government may not grant approval for an additional number of cats to be kept at prescribed premises unless the local government is satisfied that the premises are suitable for the additional number of cats.\n\n(3) An approval is subject to any condition that the local government —\n\n(a) reasonably considers is necessary to ensure that the premises are suitable for the additional number of cats; and\n\n(b) specifies in the approval.\n\n##### 10. Duration of approval\n\nAn approval has effect for the period specified in the approval.\n\n##### 11. Review by the State Administrative Tribunal\n\nA person who applies for approval to keep an additional number of cats may apply to the State Administrative Tribunal for a review of a decision of the local government to —\n\n(a) refuse to grant approval; or\n\n(b) grant approval to keep an additional number of cats that is less than the number specified in the application; or\n\n(c) grant approval subject to conditions.\n\n##### 12. Transitional arrangements in certain circumstances\n\n(1) In this regulation —\n\ncommencement day means the day on which these regulations come into operation.\n\n(2) A local law made by a local government under the *Local Government Act 1995* that —\n\n(a) limits the number of cats that may be kept at premises; and\n\n(b) is in effect immediately before commencement day,\n\nhas effect, for the purposes of these regulations, as if it were a local law made under the Act.\n\n(3) For the purposes of subregulation (4), a triggering event occurs in relation to premises and an offence under regulation 6(1) if —\n\n(a) the premises become prescribed premises; or\n\n(b) the premises are prescribed premises and a person who is the owner of one or more cats takes up residence at the premises.\n\n(4) It is a defence to a charge under regulation 6(1) to prove that, for each cat kept at the premises at the time of the commission of the offence, at least one of the following apply —\n\n(a) the cat was kept at the premises immediately before the triggering event occurred;\n\n(b) the owner of the cat at the time of the commission of the offence was the owner of the cat immediately before the triggering event occurred.\n\n(5) If a local law that limits the number of cats that may be kept at premises applies to premises before commencement day then, for the purposes of subregulation (3)(a), the premises become prescribed premises on commencement day.\n\n##### 13. Infringement notices\n\n(1) An offence against regulation 6(1) is a prescribed offence for the purposes of section 62(1) of the Act and the modified penalty for the offence is a fine of $200.\n\n(2) The form of an infringement notice is Form 6 in the *Cat Regulations 2012* Schedule 1.\n\n(3) The form of withdrawal of an infringement notice is Form 7 in the *Cat Regulations 2012* Schedule 1.\n\n##### 14. Objection: prescribed form\n\nThe form of an objection is Form 8 in the *Cat Regulations 2012* Schedule 1.\n\nNotes\n\n1 This is a compilation of the *Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013.* The following table contains information about those regulations.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Gazettal** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013* | 31 Oct 2013 p. 4879-88 | r. 1 and 2: 31 Oct 2013 (see r. 2(a));   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 1 Nov 2013 (see r. 2(b)) |\n\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\nadditional number of cats 4(1)\n\napproval 4(1)\n\ncommencement day 12(1)\n\nmember of a cat organisation 4(1)\n\nprescribed premises 4(1)\n\nstandard number of cats 4(1)\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not available for review. No comparison between original intent and final form is possible."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was retrievable — the source URL returned a 404-style error page","Analysis is based solely on the title and contextual inference, not actual legislative text","Cannot assess true complexity without access to the provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"**The content of this legislation could not be retrieved.**\n\nThe page for the *Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013* (Western Australia) is no longer available at the requested URL. The Western Australian legislation website has undergone system upgrades that have changed some page links, meaning the actual text of these regulations cannot be analysed.\n\n**What we can infer from the title:**\n- These are regulations (detailed rules that sit under a parent Act) made in Western Australia in 2013.\n- They likely relate to cat ownership, registration, microchipping, or management rules that apply uniformly across local governments (councils) in WA.\n- They would affect **cat owners** and **local councils** in Western Australia.\n\n**To access the actual legislation**, visit the [Western Australian Legislation website](https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au) and search for \"Cat (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 2013\"."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations appear to maintain their original intended scope of providing uniform local provisions for cat keeping limits across Western Australia. The transitional arrangements (regulation 12) and references to the Cat Regulations 2012 are integral to the functioning of the scheme rather than scope creep."},"complexity_factors":["Only 7 defined terms in the interpretation section (regulation 4)","Straightforward conditional logic with clear exceptions (regulation 6(2) defence, regulation 6(3) exemption for certain organisations)","Single level of cross-referencing to Cat Regulations 2012 (for forms and definitions of cat organisations)","No nested exceptions or complex mathematical calculations","Clear structure following a logical sequence: definitions → general rule → exceptions → application process → transitional protections","Limited penalty provisions with simple modified penalty scheme"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set uniform rules across Western Australia for how many cats people can keep at their homes, while allowing local councils to apply their own specific limits.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Sets a default cat limit**: If your local council has a law limiting cats, that limit applies to you. If you're a member of a recognised cat organisation (like a cat fanciers' club), you can keep **3 times** the standard limit.\n- **Kittens don't count**: Cats under 6 months old aren't included when counting how many cats you have.\n- **Allows exceptions**: You can apply to your local council for permission to keep **more** cats than the standard limit. The council can approve, approve a lower number, or refuse, and can attach conditions (like requiring proper facilities).\n- **Protects existing cats**: If you already had cats when new limits came into effect, or when you moved into a place with limits, you won't be fined for those existing cats.\n- **Penalties**: Breaking the cat limit rules can result in a fine up to $5,000, though you can get an infringement notice (on-the-spot fine) of $200 instead.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Cat owners in Western Australia, especially those living in areas where local councils have cat limits.\n- Members of cat breeding or showing organisations (who get higher limits).\n- Local governments, who process applications for extra cats and enforce the rules.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThese regulations create consistency across WA while respecting local differences. Before this, each council might have had completely different rules. Now there's a uniform framework—everyone knows kittens don't count, everyone knows breeders get 3x the limit, and everyone has the same appeal rights to the State Administrative Tribunal if they disagree with a council decision."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. The regulations are made to operate as local laws across all local governments (reg 3) and treat existing local laws made under the Local Government Act 1995 as if made under the Cat Act for these purposes (reg 12(2)). That alters the legal basis and uniformity of how cat-number limits are applied across local government areas while leaving local governments to decide approvals and conditions (reg 9)."},"complexity_factors":["Regulations operate as local laws for every local government (reg 3) — changes source of authority across jurisdictions","Defined-term interactions affect limits (eg. 'standard number of cats' depends on membership of a cat organisation) (reg 4)","Counting rule excluding cats under 6 months affects measurement of compliance (reg 5)","Criminal offence with high maximum penalty and separate modified infringement penalty creates dual enforcement pathways (regs 6 and 13)","Local government discretion to assess suitability and impose conditions when granting approvals (reg 9(2)-(3))","Application process permits requests for documents and statutory-declaration verification, with a 21-day compliance window and possible refusal if not met (reg 8(2)-(4))","Right to merits review by the State Administrative Tribunal for refusals, reduced approvals, and conditions on approvals (reg 11)","Transitional rules and triggering events create time-dependent defences tied to prior ownership and existing local laws (reg 12(2)-(4))","Cross-references to other instruments and forms (Cat Regulations 2012, Cat Act 2011, Local Government Act 1995; Forms in Schedule 1) increase interpretive complexity (regs 4(1), 12(2), 13(2)-(3), 14)"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations impose a uniform set of local rules across Western Australia limiting how many cats may be kept at prescribed premises, set counting rules (cats under six months are excluded), and allow local governments to approve extra cats subject to suitability and conditions. \n\nThey establish an application process (with document/statutory-declaration requirements), offences and penalties (including a $5,000 fine and a $200 infringement option), and a right to seek review by the State Administrative Tribunal."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013","history":"/api/acts/cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013/history","analysis":"/api/acts/cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/cat-uniform-local-provisions-regulations-2013/documents"}}