Off-Leash Dog Parks in Brisbane: Where to Go and the Rules

Last checked: 22 October 2026. Every rule below links to the Brisbane City Council, Queensland Government or TransLink page it comes from. Brisbane City Council covers the City of Brisbane only. Neighbouring areas have their own councils and dog rules: find yours in the Queensland Government’s Local Government Directory, which links all 77 councils and their local laws.

The short answers

• Where can my dog be off the leash? Only in a Council dog off-leash area (DOLA). The Council keeps more than 160, with a map, and says: “You must leash your dog outside of these designated areas.”
• Are there dog beaches? Three foreshore off-leash areas: Manly, Sandgate and Kedron Brook at Nudgee Beach (Council).
• Can my dog ride the CityCat? Yes, off-peak, on a lead and muzzled or in an enclosed carrier. Pets can’t go on buses, trains or trams (TransLink).
• Does my dog need registering? Yes, by 3 months old or within 14 days of moving to Brisbane: $48.50 for the first year if desexed, $138.95 if not, in 2026-27 (Council).
• What’s the fine for an off-leash dog? $863 for not having your dog under effective control in a public place (Council fines), which outside an off-leash area means holding it on a leash (Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, s 192).

The rules in every off-leash area

From the Council’s off-leash dog parks page:

• Know the boundaries of unfenced areas: check the signs and site maps at the entrance.
• Watch your dog and keep it under control. The Act says that in an off-leash area you must be able to supervise your dog and control it “by using voice command” (s 192), so it has to come when called.
• Clean up and put the waste in the bins provided.
• Keep big dogs out of the small dog areas.
• Keep registration and vaccinations up to date.

Where to go

The Council counts more than 160 off-leash areas. Its open data list has 172 entries (October 2026), as long areas are split into sections (Kedron Brook alone has 7): 147 fully fenced, 5 partly fenced and 20 unfenced. The last five below are among the Council’s most loved dog parks; details are from the data list.

• Powerhouse Park, New Farm: fenced, with a small dog area and lights. New Farm Park itself is leash-only, and the Council’s New Farm Park page sends dogs here to run.
• Perrin Park, Toowong: fenced, with a small dog area and lights.
• Sunset Park, Bardon: fenced, with a small dog area, lights and agility equipment.
• Kokoda Park, Gordon Park: unfenced, one of several sections of the Kedron Brook off-leash area.
• Elanora Park, Wynnum: the largest fenced area on the list, about 22,000 square metres, with a small dog area, lights and agility equipment.
• Crosby Park, Albion: fenced, with a small dog area.

In the city centre, leashed dogs are welcome in the City Botanic Gardens, and the closest dog parks are across the river in Kangaroo Point (City Botanic Gardens). A new off-leash area is being built at West End Riverside Lands Park until 20 November 2026; check the off-leash page for works and closures.

At Mt Coot-tha, dogs must stay on a lead, on the reserve’s designated trails (Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha). To let your dog off, the Council points to Merri Merri Park or Green Hill Reservoir Park nearby (Mt Coot-tha tracks).

Dog beaches and swimming

To protect shorebird habitat in Moreton Bay, the Council has three foreshore off-leash areas (off-leash dog parks page):

• Manly: the beach at the end of Davenport Drive, between the southern and northern rock walls.
• Sandgate: the area between the stairs near Flinders Parade and Second Avenue, and Park Parade and Zeehan Street at Shorncliffe.
• Kedron Brook, Nudgee Beach: the dog off-leash and swimming area in Tuckeroo Park, which also has a fenced off-leash area (open data list).

Nudgee Beach itself is on-leash. After a trial, the Council returned it to on-leash in late 2020 because shorebird disturbance there was much higher than at Manly and Sandgate (Council, Your Say). The Council’s dog walks article still lists Nudgee Beach as an off-leash beach, but the off-leash page says it is now on-leash. Go by the signs.

Elsewhere on the foreshore, a Queensland marine park where migratory shorebirds feed, keep your dog on a leash (Council FAQ).

Where dogs can’t go, or must stay on a leash

• National parks: no dogs, with on-the-spot fines. You may drive through on gazetted roads if your dog stays in the car. Some conservation parks, State forests and recreation areas allow dogs on a leash (Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service).
• Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha: only service and assistance dogs (Council).
• Queen Street Mall, Chinatown Mall and The Valley Mall: no animals, except guide, hearing and assistance dogs (Public Land and Council Assets Local Law 2014, ss 4 and 82).
• Bushland reserves and wetlands, including Brisbane Koala Bushlands and Boondall Wetlands: leashed dogs are welcome. Keep the leash on unless you’re in a signed off-leash area, such as the dog park at Whites Hill Reserve (Council).

Registration, microchips and fines

Registration is yearly, from 3 months old or within 14 days of moving to Brisbane. The 2026-27 fees (Register your dog):

• Desexed: $48.50 the first year, then $64.55 a year.
• Desexed and adopted through an approved facility: $32.35 the first year.
• Not desexed: $138.95 the first year, then $185.40 a year.
• Pensioners get 50% off.

Have your dog’s microchip number ready to register. The Council recommends your dog wears its tag at all times. If you move, tell the Council within 14 days, and your microchip registry too: the Council doesn’t update it.

Microchip your dog before it is 12 weeks old (Act, s 14). Keeping 3 or more dogs needs a Council permit (Owning a dog).

Fines, at $172.70 a penalty unit from 1 July 2026 (Council fines):

• Dog not under effective control in a public place: $863.
• The same, and your dog wounds another animal: $2,590.
• Dog not registered, or not microchipped: $345 each.
• Not picking up after your dog: $345.
• Not carrying spare bags: $86.

Dogs on ferries, buses and trains

Only approved assistance animals ride TransLink buses, trains and trams (TransLink). For CityCats and ferries, from TransLink’s pet dog policy and muzzle and carrier guide:

• When: not between 6 and 8.30 am or 3.30 and 7 pm on weekdays, except public holidays. All day at weekends.
• How: on a lead and wearing a muzzle that fully covers the mouth, or in a fully enclosed carrier or crate (TransLink, Council). TransLink’s 2020 policy poster mentions only a muzzle, so a muzzle meets both.
• Where: outside the cabin at the back, never on seats or the top deck.
• How many: up to 2 dogs per person, free while you hold a valid ticket.
• Not allowed: from 12 pm on New Year’s Eve and Riverfire, or any dog declared dangerous.
• Take all waste off the boat. Crew may ask you to wait for the next service.

Walking several dogs

We found no fixed number in the Council’s local law or the Act. Each animal in public must be under the control of someone “physically able to control the animal, whether on its own or in combination with any other animals under that person’s control” (Animals Local Law 2017, s 25 and dictionary). Two limits apply: 2 dogs per person on ferries, and a dog declared dangerous or menacing must be the only dog its handler controls. A dog declared dangerous or menacing must also stay on a leash even in an off-leash area (Act, s 192).

Paid dog walkers: commercial activities in parks need a park use consent (park use guideline). The guideline names dog obedience training, not dog walking, so ask the Council on 07 3403 8888.

Ticks, cane toads, snakes and heat

Paralysis ticks. In southeast Queensland, vet cases peak in September and October but happen all year (University of Queensland, 2023), and about 1 in 10 pets taken to a vet for ticks die or are put to sleep (UQ, 2024). Check your dog after every outing, head, neck and ears first: that’s where UQ found the tick on 73% of dogs (UQ, 2025). See how to check your dog for ticks, and ask your vet about prevention.

If you find a tick, take it off, keep your dog calm and see your vet as soon as possible (RSPCA). Go now if your dog has wobbly back legs, a changed bark, retching, coughing or vomiting, or trouble breathing, and give no food or water: the RSPCA says these dogs can’t protect their airway when they swallow.

Cane toads are toxic at every stage of life and can kill some domestic animals that eat them (Council). Signs start at once: frothy drooling, head shaking, pawing at the mouth, retching, and in bad cases an abnormal heart rhythm, trouble breathing and seizures (Merck Veterinary Manual). Go to a vet now. Merck’s guidance for vets is to flush the mouth straight away with plenty of water without letting the dog breathe it in (Merck, for vets), so ask your vet on the phone how. Our dog first aid kit guide has the poison line.

Snakes. Brisbane is home to 27 species of snake (Council), and they become more active as the weather warms up. Tiger and brown snakes cause most venomous snake bites in Australian cats and dogs (RSPCA). Go now if you think your dog has been bitten: keep it calm and quiet and take it to a vet immediately, calling ahead so the vet can get ready (RSPCA).

Heat. Brisbane’s January days average 30.4°C, with 9 am humidity around 63 to 66% in January and February (Bureau of Meteorology). Walk early or late, carry water, and know the signs of heatstroke in dogs.

Storm season: check your fence, bring your dog in, and don’t tie it up outside (Council).

What to bring

• At least 2 poop bags, as the Council advises (Owning a dog), and a leash, even for an off-leash area.
• The registration tag on your dog’s collar.
• Water, and a muzzle or carrier for the CityCat.

Puppies: wait until your vet says the vaccine course is done before busy dog parks; see bringing home a puppy. For manners, see dog park etiquette.

If something goes wrong: report a dog attack to the Council on 07 3403 8888, and suspected baiting to the RSPCA on 1300 264 625 (off-leash dog parks page). If your dog runs off, phone the Council on 07 3403 8888: it keeps a lost and found register, and takes found dogs to its rehoming centres at Willawong and Bracken Ridge (Report a lost pet). You can also report the lost or found dog free on FurFam: your report gets its own page to share.

Know a great Brisbane dog spot we missed? Tell us.

Dog parks in other Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.

FAQs

Is there an off-leash dog beach in Brisbane? Yes: Manly, Sandgate, and the Kedron Brook dog off-leash and swimming area in Tuckeroo Park, Nudgee Beach. Nudgee Beach itself is on-leash (Council).

How much is dog registration in Brisbane? For 2026-27, $48.50 for the first year for a desexed dog, then $64.55 a year, or $138.95 and then $185.40 if not desexed. Pensioners pay half (Register your dog).

Can my dog come to Mt Coot-tha? Yes, on a lead, on the designated trails in Mt Coot-tha Reserve, but not into the Brisbane Botanic Gardens there, which take only service and assistance dogs (Council).