Pit bulls in Australia: the law, and why we don’t list them

At a glance

Importing one is banned everywhere, under Commonwealth law. The rest depends on the state or territory.

Each row is explained, with its source, below. Checked 11 October 2026.

What is a pit bull?

“Pit bull” is the everyday name for the dog most Australian laws call the “American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier”.

• A registry overseas recognises it. The United Kennel Club, in the United States, says it was the first registry to recognise the breed, and that its founder registered his own in 1898. Its breed standard, revised 1 May 2017, describes a medium-sized, solidly built, short-coated dog.
• Dogs Australia doesn’t list it. Its breed standards pages for all seven of its groups list 227 standards, and none is for the American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier. We checked them on 11 October 2026.
• The RSPCA says it isn’t a recognised pure breed. Its knowledge base calls “pit bull” a descriptive label given to dogs that loosely share some physical features.

So in Australia, the name matters most as a legal term. We don’t go further into what a pit bull looks like: nothing we write can settle a dog’s breed in law, and it could help someone pass off a restricted dog as something else.

What are the restricted dog breeds in Australia?

There are five. The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 list them in Schedule 1, item 26:

• dogo Argentino
• fila Brasileiro
• Japanese tosa
• American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier
• Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario

The six states use the same five, each under its own label: a “restricted breed dog” in Victoria (Domestic Animals Act 1994) and Tasmania (Dog Control Act 2000), a “restricted dog” in New South Wales (Companion Animals Act 1998), a “prohibited dog” in Queensland (Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008), a dog of a “prescribed breed” in South Australia (Dog and Cat Management Act 1995), and a “dangerous dog (restricted breed)” in Western Australia (Dog Act 1976). South Australia’s Act names the American pit bull terrier only, not “pit bull terrier”. New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania also add any other breed the Commonwealth bans from import.

These labels go by breed, not by anything an individual dog has done.

We have a page on each of the other four: the Dogo Argentino, the Fila Brasileiro, the Japanese Tosa and the Presa Canario.

Can you bring a pit bull into Australia?

No. Regulation 3 of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 says importing the goods in Schedule 1 is “prohibited absolutely”, and item 26 of that schedule lists the five breeds. We read the compilation dated 13 July 2026.

The federal agriculture department’s guide to importing dogs (updated 20 February 2026) lists the same five as pure breed dogs banned from Australia. It says mixed-breed dogs are allowed if they meet all other import conditions, and that the Department of Home Affairs may investigate a dog identified as possibly a prohibited breed after it arrives. For questions about prohibited breeds, it gives that department’s number, 131 881.

The import ban doesn’t decide what happens to dogs already here. As the Australian Veterinary Association puts it, it’s a ban on importation and not a prohibition on ownership. Keeping, selling and breeding are matters for each state and territory.

How does the law decide a dog is a pit bull?

Each state has its own test. In the Acts we read, none of the tests is what a dog was sold as.

• Victoria: an approved standard, then a declaration. A dog that falls within a standard the Minister has approved for one of the five breeds is taken to be a dog of that breed (Domestic Animals Act 1994). A council authorised officer who is of the opinion that a dog is a restricted breed dog can declare it one, and must give the owner written notice within 7 days. The owner then has 14 days to apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a review. Animal Welfare Victoria’s flowchart says that if an owner’s proof that the dog is an “Amstaff” under the standard is accepted, the dog isn’t a restricted breed dog.
• New South Wales: a notice, then 28 days. A dog of a listed breed is a restricted dog. A council officer who is of the opinion that a dog is one of those breeds, or a cross-breed of one, can give notice that they intend to declare it. The officer can’t declare the dog if, within 28 days, the owner gives them an approved breed assessor’s written statement that it isn’t one of the breeds or a cross of one. For a dog assessed as a cross, the owner also needs an approved temperament assessor’s statement that it isn’t a danger to the public. No other evidence of breed counts, and the Companion Animals Act 1998 says a declaration is final and isn’t subject to appeal or review. The council whose officer made it can revoke it.
• Queensland: by the import list. A prohibited dog is a dog of a breed that can’t be imported, and the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 says a breed doesn’t include a crossbreed. The chapter on prohibited dogs sets out no assessment or declaration step.
• South Australia: by the list. The Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 lists the prescribed breeds. We found no test in it for deciding a dog’s breed. In a prosecution under the Act, an allegation that a dog was of a prescribed breed is accepted as proved unless there’s evidence to the contrary.
• Western Australia: by breed or mix. A dog is a restricted breed dog if it’s one of the prescribed breeds, or a mix of 2 or more breeds that includes one. In any court proceedings, the Dog Act 1976 puts the onus on the person who says a dog isn’t one to prove it.
• Tasmania: only by declaration. An authorised person, such as a council general manager or a police officer, can declare a dog a restricted breed dog if satisfied it’s one of the breeds. The owner can appeal to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal within 28 days, and must prove the dog isn’t one (Dog Control Act 2000).

If a council gives you a notice about your dog, the time limits are short. Contact the council or a lawyer straight away.

Are pit bulls legal in your state or territory?

Penalties are given as each Act states them. Where an Act counts in penalty units, we give the number of units, and a dollar figure only where the regulator gives one.

Victoria

• Keeping one. A council may register a restricted breed dog, and can set conditions. The dog must be microchipped and, unless a vet advises against it on health grounds, desexed. Animal Welfare Victoria (page updated 12 August 2026) lists the other rules: a prescribed collar worn at all times, warning signs at every entrance, housing the dog can’t escape from, and a muzzle and leash outside the property, with someone 18 or over in control. Nobody can own more than 2 without a council permit.
• Selling or giving one away. An offence, with a penalty of 5 penalty units. The Act’s meaning of “sell” includes offering or exposing a dog for sale. Its restricted breed rules don’t use the word “advertise”. There are two narrow exceptions, covered below.
• Breeding. It’s an offence to breed from a restricted breed dog, or to consent to it, arrange it or recklessly allow it. The penalty is 60 penalty units or 6 months in prison.

Source: Domestic Animals Act 1994 (version 093, in force from 30 September 2026), s3, s10A, s17, s41EB, s41J, s41K, s98 and s98A to s98B; Wildlife Act 1975, s3(1).

New South Wales

• Keeping one. The owner of a restricted dog must have it desexed and registered, keep it in an enclosure that meets the regulations, show “Warning Dangerous Dog” signs, and never leave it in the sole charge of someone under 18. The dog must wear a prescribed collar at all times, and be muzzled and on a lead whenever it’s outside its enclosure. It also needs an annual permit.
• Selling, giving away or advertising one. Selling a restricted dog, or advertising one for sale, is an offence. “Sell” covers any transfer of ownership, including a gift.
• Accepting or breeding one. Accepting ownership of a restricted dog is an offence. So is causing or permitting one to breed, or advertising one as available for breeding.
• Penalties. Each of those offences, and not meeting the keeping rules, has a maximum of 150 penalty units, which the Office of Local Government gives as $16,500. For not having a valid annual permit, it lists 60 penalty units, or $6,600.
• Dogs a council declares. A dog that a council officer declares a restricted dog can be seized, and an officer can authorise its destruction. The Act excepts a dog registered before the declaration rules of the 2005 amendment began, as something other than one of the breeds or a cross of one, if nobody has been convicted of an offence over the dog attacking, chasing or harassing a person or animal.

Source: Companion Animals Act 1998 (current version for 21 November 2024 to date), s5, s55, s56, s57A to s57D and s58A to s58D; the Office of Local Government’s pages on restricted dogs and their control requirements (each updated 1 July 2024).

Queensland

• Owning one. A person must not own, or be a responsible person for, a prohibited dog unless they have a reasonable excuse. The maximum penalty is 150 penalty units. The Queensland Government (page updated 3 September 2026) says the five breeds have been prohibited from being owned since 28 August 2024.
• The exceptions. An assistance animal is a reasonable excuse. A dog that was registered and had a restricted dog permit in effect just before the change is taken not to be a prohibited dog, for as long as the permit and the registration last.
• Selling or giving one away. Supplying a prohibited dog to another person is an offence, with a maximum of 150 penalty units. “Supply” includes exchanging, giving or selling, and offering or agreeing to supply. The chapter doesn’t use the word “advertise”.
• Breeding. Giving or taking possession of a prohibited dog so it can breed with another dog is an offence, with the same maximum.

Source: Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, s6, s103A to s103E, s237 and schedule 2.

South Australia

• Keeping one. Whenever a dog of a prescribed breed isn’t confined to premises its owner occupies, it must wear a muzzle that stops it biting, and be under a person’s effective control by physical restraint. The maximum penalty is $5,000, and the expiation fee is $750. The Act’s desexing rule has a higher maximum penalty for a dog of a prescribed breed ($5,000), and its exemption for registered breeders doesn’t cover one.
• Selling, giving away or advertising one. A person who sells or gives away a dog of a prescribed breed, or advertises one for sale or to give away, is guilty of an offence. The maximum penalty is $5,000.
• A change that isn’t in force yet. The Dog and Cat Management (Breeder Reforms) Amendment Act 2025 moves that offence to a new section. It adds an exception for surrendering a dog to the RSPCA or the Animal Welfare League, and a defence for someone who didn’t know, and couldn’t reasonably have been expected to know, the dog’s breed. It also lifts the maximum penalty for the muzzle and restraint rule to $7,500. Those changes weren’t in the Act in force on 11 October 2026.

Source: Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 (version 17.11.2025), s4, s42E, s45B and s88; Dog and Cat Management (Breeder Reforms) Amendment Act 2025, s2, s22 and new s71G.

Western Australia

• Keeping one. The dog must be sterilised once it’s 3 months old. It must wear a prescribed collar, and its enclosure must stop it escaping and stop a child under 7 getting in or reaching in. Warning signs go at each entrance. Outside its enclosure, it must be muzzled and held on a lead by a person 18 or over who can control it. No more than 2 can be kept at one premises.
• Advertising, selling or giving one away. Advertising one as being for sale, or otherwise available for a new owner, is an offence. So is selling one. Any other transfer of ownership is an offence too, with three exceptions: a deceased estate, an owner a doctor certifies can’t care for the dog, and a case the Minister decides is extraordinary.
• Buying or accepting one. Buying one is an offence. So is accepting one any other way, apart from the deceased estate and doctor’s certificate cases. These rules on changing owners also cover a pup under 3 months old with a restricted breed parent.
• Breeding. Breeding a restricted breed dog, or breeding from one, is an offence.
• Penalties. Each of these offences carries a fine of $10,000, with a minimum of $500.

Source: Dog Act 1976 (version current from 28 November 2024), s3(1), s26(4), s33GA to s33GD and s45; Dog Regulations 2013 (version current from 24 July 2025), reg 4.

Tasmania

A dog is a restricted breed dog in Tasmania only once it has been declared one. A dog declared under another state’s or territory’s equivalent law counts too. After that:

• Keeping one. The owner must have the dog desexed and microchipped, within 28 days if they don’t appeal. It must wear an approved collar at all times. Away from home, it must be muzzled and on a lead no more than 2 metres long, held by a person over 18. Approved warning signs go at every entrance. Nobody can keep more than 2 restricted breed dogs over 6 months old.
• Selling or giving one away. A person must not sell a declared dog, or transfer its ownership in any other way, without the written approval of a council general manager. The penalty is a fine of up to 20 penalty units.
• Advertising, breeding and crosses. The Act doesn’t mention any of the three.

Source: Dog Control Act 2000, s3, s29A, s31, s32, s32A, s33 and s34A to s34D.

ACT

The ACT Government’s City Services says: “There are no restricted breeds in the ACT.” It says each dog is assessed on its individual behaviour, its history and the circumstances of an incident.

The ACT’s Domestic Animals Act 2000 (republication 51, effective 16 November 2025) has no breed list. Its dangerous dog declarations rest on things such as an attack, use as a guard dog, or a decision with a comparable effect made about the dog under a state’s law (s22). The Act doesn’t say whether another state’s restricted breed declaration is one of those.

Northern Territory

The territory’s Animal Protection Act 2018 (as in force at 3 November 2025) is an animal welfare law. It has no restricted breed or dangerous dog rules.

The City of Darwin has its own animal by-laws. Its page on dog attacks says: “Darwin does not have a prescribed breed register.” We haven’t read other councils’ by-laws, so ask your council.

In the ACT and the Northern Territory, the Commonwealth import ban still applies. Pet Sales Australia doesn’t allow restricted breeds or their crosses to be listed in either. That’s our own rule. We didn’t find one like it in the laws we read for either.

We read each of these laws and pages on 11 October 2026.

Are pit bull crosses legal?

It depends on the state.

• Western Australia: a mix of 2 or more breeds, one of them a restricted breed, is a restricted breed dog (Dog Act 1976). Every rule above applies to it.
• Victoria: a dog that falls within the approved standard is taken to be a dog of that breed. Animal Welfare Victoria says restricted breed dogs “may be pure or cross bred”.
• New South Wales: a council officer can move to declare a cross-breed of a listed breed a restricted dog (Companion Animals Act 1998). The assessments above are how an owner answers.
• Queensland: for prohibited dogs, the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 says a breed doesn’t include a crossbreed. But a council can make a local law banning a breed in its area, and for local laws “breed” includes a crossbreed.
• South Australia and Tasmania: the Acts (Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 and Dog Control Act 2000) name the breeds and don’t mention crosses. That doesn’t settle whether a cross can be kept or sold, so ask your council.

Pet Sales Australia doesn’t allow any cross of a restricted breed to be listed, anywhere.

Is a pit bull the same as a staffy or an American staffy?

No. They’re three different things.

• The staffy is the Staffordshire bull terrier. Dogs Australia recognises it in its Terrier group (Group 2).
• The American staffy, or Amstaff, is the American Staffordshire terrier. It’s a separate breed in the same group.
• The pit bull isn’t on Dogs Australia’s breed lists, and it’s one of the five restricted breeds.

Neither the staffy nor the Amstaff is one of the five. But in Victoria (Domestic Animals Act 1994), New South Wales (Companion Animals Act 1998) and Tasmania (Dog Control Act 2000), an officer can declare an individual dog a restricted breed if they assess it as one, whatever it was sold as. In Western Australia (Dog Act 1976), any mix that includes a restricted breed counts.

Why are pit bulls restricted, and do breed laws work?

The bodies that have looked at it disagree.

The laws go by breed, not by what a dog has done. Victoria’s regulator puts it this way: Animal Welfare Victoria says restricted breed dogs “have not attacked a person or animal or displayed signs of aggression”, but are “considered a higher risk to community safety than other breeds of dogs”.

The RSPCA opposes breed-specific laws. Its knowledge base (updated 3 June 2024) says dogs shouldn’t be declared dangerous on the basis of breed or appearance, and that each dog should be assessed on its actual behaviour. It says these laws aren’t an effective way to prevent or reduce dog bites or attacks.

The Australian Veterinary Association takes a similar view. Its policy, ratified on 4 December 2014, says laws to prevent dog bites should focus on the individual dog and the owner, not the breed. It says breed-specific legislation has failed to reduce the frequency of dog bites in Australia and overseas.

A Victorian parliamentary committee landed in between. The Legislative Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee reported in March 2016 (PDF, 4.3 MB) that Victoria’s system of identifying and dealing with restricted breed dogs wasn’t working: the tribunal had overturned 74 per cent of the council declarations appealed since 2011. It found the evidence on whether pit bulls pose a greater risk than other breeds insufficient and sometimes contradictory. Even so, it recommended keeping other restrictions on the breed, while letting pit bulls be registered.

Pet Sales Australia doesn’t describe any dog as dangerous or safe because of its breed. We follow the law as it stands.

Why doesn’t Pet Sales Australia list pit bulls?

Because selling or giving one away is an offence in five states, and advertising one is an offence in New South Wales (Companion Animals Act 1998), South Australia (Dog and Cat Management Act 1995) and Western Australia (Dog Act 1976). We apply one rule in every state and territory.

Our Listing Rules say these can’t be listed:

Restricted dog breeds and their crosses: American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Perro de Presa Canario.

The same rules don’t allow dogs declared dangerous, menacing or restricted, dogs under a council control or destruction order, or animals offered or bred for fighting.

Listing text is screened as well. The rules on the words we screen say we won’t publish listing text that contains “a restricted or blocked breed’s name”. The check looks for the usual names and spellings. Other spellings can slip through, so if you see a listing for one, report it.

We don’t check a dog’s breed. On any listing, the breed is the seller’s own word.

What should you do if you see a pit bull advertised?

• Don’t pay anything, including a deposit. Buying or accepting a restricted dog is an offence in New South Wales (Companion Animals Act 1998) and Western Australia (Dog Act 1976), and in Western Australia that includes any cross. In Queensland (Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008), owning one that isn’t a cross is an offence, with some exceptions.
• Treat the ad as a warning sign. It may be unlawful, a scam, or a dog sold under the wrong name. Read how to spot a pet scam.
• Report it to the site it’s on. On Pet Sales Australia, use “Report This Listing” on the listing, Report a Concern at the foot of any page, or email info@petsales.net.au. Our Listing Rules explain what happens next.
• If an animal is in danger, call your state’s RSPCA or animal welfare authority. Call 000 if a person is.

What if you already own a pit bull or a cross?

Check before you do anything. Giving one away can be an offence, as well as selling it. The exceptions differ:

• Victoria: you can surrender the dog to the council, or to the pound that works for it, so that it can be put down. If an owner has died, the dog can go to their husband, wife, domestic partner, parent, child or sibling aged 18 or over, but only if it was registered in Victoria before the 2011 change to the law (Domestic Animals Act 1994).
• New South Wales: you can surrender the dog to a council pound or an approved animal welfare organisation. The Companion Animals Act 1998 notes that a surrendered restricted dog can’t be sold.
• Queensland: you can surrender a prohibited dog to your local council. The Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 says the council must then destroy the dog as soon as practicable.
• South Australia: the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 in force on 11 October 2026 has no exception. The 2025 change (Dog and Cat Management (Breeder Reforms) Amendment Act 2025), not yet in force, would allow surrender to the RSPCA or the Animal Welfare League.
• Western Australia: the only exceptions are the three above (Dog Act 1976). Surrender isn’t one of them.
• Tasmania: you can surrender a declared dog to a pound or an approved animal welfare organisation (Dog Control Act 2000).

These are hard rules to read. We set them out because an owner who doesn’t know them could break the law, or hand over a dog expecting it to be rehomed. Ask your council or a lawyer what the law allows for your dog.

Looking for a dog you can lawfully buy?

We don’t suggest any dog as a stand-in for another. These are places to start:

• Recognised breeds. The Staffordshire bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier are separate breeds that Dogs Australia recognises. Both can be listed on Pet Sales Australia, unless the dog has been declared dangerous, menacing or restricted, or is under a council control or destruction order. We don’t offer them as replacements for a pit bull.
• Crossbreeds. A crossbreed can be listed only if no restricted breed is in its mix. Ask what both parents are.
• A rescue dog. Rescue groups and shelters rehome adult dogs and puppies. See rescue and adoption and older dogs for sale.
• Any dog. See all dogs and where to buy a puppy.

Listings open soon.

Before you pay for any dog:

• Meet the seller and the dog in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. For a breeder’s puppy, meet its mother too. A video is a first look, not a visit.
• Ask what the dog is, and for the paperwork. A dog’s breed and parents are the seller’s own word.
• Check the seller’s number on the state’s own register, where there is one. Our source number page shows how.

Pet Sales Australia doesn’t hold or protect payments between buyers and sellers. You pay the seller directly, and we can’t get your money back.