Can I bury my pet in the backyard in NSW?

Home burial can be a beautiful, grounded choice — and it can also go quietly wrong. Here's what to check before you pick up a shovel.

The practical rules

• Check your local council first — requirements vary across NSW, and some urban councils discourage it entirely.
• Depth of at least 1.2 metres, with firm soil replaced above.
• Well clear of bores, dams, creeks, stormwater drains and neighbouring boundaries.
• Avoid areas that flood, and avoid shallow rocky ground where depth isn't achievable.
• No plastic — use a natural blanket or an untreated timber or cardboard container.

When burial isn't the right call

• You rent, or you may move house within a few years.
• Your pet was euthanised recently — barbiturates persist and can harm scavenging wildlife, so depth and covering matter more, not less.
• The soil is shallow, sandy or waterlogged.
• Your companion is a horse or other large animal — these usually require council involvement.

A middle path

Many families choose cremation and then bury or scatter the ashes in the same spot they had in mind. It keeps the place and the ritual, without the risks — and it comes with you if you ever move.