Hills Local Laws

Thank you for helping us to review our six existing By-laws and a proposed new By-law for livestock and bee management. At the Council Meeting held on 12 August 2025, Council endorsed changes/revisions to By-laws 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 and resolved to re-engage on proposed changes to By-law No. Roads and the proposed new By-law No. 7 which will now focus on roosters and pigeons within designated township.

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.

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 review the proposed changes and revisions that were engaged on during July 2025, please read the Summary of Changes document under the Document Library.

Community engagement closed at 5pm on Tuesday 22 July 2025.

What we heard

We invited community feedback on proposed changes to existing By-laws and a new By-law for Domestic Livestock and Bee Management from the 1st to the 22nd of July 2025. A total of 316 participants responded via online and hardcopy forms, emails, and one customer request. Most feedback focused on the proposed new By-law for Domestic Livestock and Bee Management (280 responses) and changes to By-law No. 4 Roads (88 responses). Across all seven By-laws, there was a common theme of concern about over-regulation and restrictions on how residents manage their own properties.

You can view the full Engagement Outcomes Report under the Document Library.

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

The above five By-laws will now go to the Legislative Review Committee for approval.

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 increase from 4.00pm the day before collection to 6.00am the day prior to 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 will reopen community engagement seeking feedback on the proposed revisions to By-laws No. 4 and 7.