Background

By-laws are local laws created by Council to manage issues specific to areas under our care and control – from pets to waste, trees and signage.

Some By-laws are in place to protect the comfort and safety of our community while others seek to prevent damage to local government land.

We review our By-laws every 7 years to ensure they meet the current needs of our community and to meet our obligations under the Local Government Act 1999. There are some things we cannot create by-laws for, for example, things that are the responsibility of state or federal government.

Phase 1

During July 2025, we asked for our communities feedback on proposed changes/revisions to our existing six By-laws as well as a proposed additional By-law for Livestock and Bee Management.

To view the proposed changes and revisions that were engaged on during July 2025 and find out what we heard from our community, please follow the links below:

Phase 2

Following community engagement feedback received during July 2025, we made amendments to our proposed By-laws for Roads and Township Bird Management. We ask our community for feedback on the proposed amendments to both By-laws during September 2025.

To view the proposed changes that were engaged on during September, please follow the link below:

The draft By-law No. 4 Roads and draft By-law No. 7 Township Bird Management, were presented to Council along with the Community Engagement Outcomes Report and recommended next steps, at the Council Meeting on 25 November 2025.

Phase 3

The Adelaide Hills Council (Miscellaneous) Amendment By-law 2026, was prepared to rectify drafting errors in the Local Government Land By-Law No. 3 of 2025 adopted earlier this year.

This amendment addresses concerns raised by the Legislative Review Committee (LRC). They have advised council of the errors and corrections required following Council endorsement of the revised By-law No. 3 Local Government Land, in August 2025.

The following issues have been identified:

• Definition of “animal” does not exclude dogs.
• Clause 4.24 does not exempt lawful fishing activities, creating inconsistency with Clause 4.23.
• Incorrect cross-references in Clauses 10.2, 10.3, and 11, which affect the intended application of exemptions and resolutions under the Local Government Act 1999.

You can view draft Amendment By-law 2026 under the Document Library.

The previously adopted 2025 version of By-law No. 3 Local Government Land will come into effect on 1st January 2026. The revisions within the Amendment By-law 2026 will not take effect until they are adopted by the Council. Once adopted by the Council, the revisions listed above will replace the relevant sections within By-law No. 3 Local Government Land.

We asked for you to share your feedback on the Adelaide Hills Council (Miscellaneous) Amendment By-Law 2026 between the 11 November and the 2 December 2025.

Council Decision and Next Steps

At the Council Meeting held on 12 August 2025, Council endorsed the revisions/changes to existing By-laws:

• No. 1 Permits and Penalties
• No. 2 Moveable Signs
• No. 3 Local Government Land
• No. 5 Dogs
• No. 6 Cats

In line with community engagement findings, Council resolved to re-engage on the below revisions to By-law No. 4 Roads and proposed new By-law No. 7 Domestic Livestock and Bee Management.

• By-law No. 4 Roads – The timeframe for bin positioning on the kerbside has been increased by 10 hours to allow bins to be placed on the kerbside from 6.00am the day prior to collection. The timeframe for waste bins to be returned to properties remains at up to 24 hours after waste collection.
• By-law No. 7 Domestic Livestock and Bee Management – Bee management and hooved livestock ownership have been removed from this By-law. The newly named By-law No. 7 Township Bird Management will now focus on roosters and pigeons within designated townships.

During September 2025, we reopened community engagement seeking feedback on the proposed revisions to By-laws No. 4 and 7. A Report will be presented to Council at the Council Meeting on 25 November 2025.

In November 2025, we received correspondent from the Legislative Review Committee (LRC), advising of errors and corrections required following Council endorsement of the revised By-law No. 3 Local Government Land, in August 2025. We are required to re-engage with our community around an Amendment By-law 2026 required to rectify these drafting errors.

Council Decision and Next Steps

At the Council Meeting held on 25 November 2025, Council endorsed the revisions to existing By-law No. 4 Roads and having considered the feedback received through the community engagement process, decided to not proceed at this time with a new By-law to regulate roosters and pigeons in townships.

Thank you very much for your feedback provided throughout this review process.