Other Animals

Keeping livestock

If you are considering keeping livestock at your property, it is essential that the property is suitable.
Council does not have a by-law for the keeping of chickens/poultry on property. Poultry may therefore be kept provided they are managed so as not to cause an odour nuisance to neighbouring properties and no run off from the pen area occurs.

Bee keeping

Urban beekeeping can be an enjoyable hobby, producing a healthy nutritious product for home consumption. Bee keeping is low risk to the human population, however, can cause community concern, especially by neighbours. Beekeepers must take special care so their bees do not become a nuisance to neighbours, or even appear to be a problem. Talk to your neighbours before establishing a hive.

As part of the implementation of the Biosecurity Act 2019 (the Act), beekeeping is now considered a ‘regulated dealing’ and under the Act, a person must not engage in a regulated dealing unless they are registered. Therefore, registration is now compulsory for all Tasmanian commercial and recreational beekeepers. This requirement was formalised in new Biosecurity Regulations 2022 which came into effect on 2 November 2022.

This requirement to register under the Act extends to beekeepers who were previously registered under the Animal Health Act 1995, more information about who needs to be registered and the conditions of registration can be found at: beekeeper registration information. A direct link to the registration form can be found here: beekeeper registration form.

The Tasmanian Beekeepers Association’s “Urban Beekeeping Code of Practice” aims to ensure that the keeping of honey bees does not have a negative impact on people, property, domestic animals or native flora or fauna.  The code of practice can be found at  https://www.tasmanianbeekeepers.org.au/code-of-practice-for-urban-beekeeping-in-tasmania/.