Animal Keeping

If you keep animals at your property, such as poultry or bees, it’s important to ensure that your activities do not create a nuisance or health risk to neighbours.

Council officers may investigate issues related to animal keeping such as noise, odours, dust and pest control in accordance with the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act 2016 and Mount Barker District Council’s new animal management by-law.

Here’s what you need to know about keeping poultry and bees on your property:

By-law No.7 Animal Management

By-law No.7 Animal Management came into effect from 1 January 2025.

This by-law aims to manage and regulate the keeping of prescribed animals on residential premises to prevent nuisance issues.

Roosters older than two months are prescribed animals under this by-law.

Roosters that are two months of age, or older, cannot be kept:

• on a property within a town; or
• on a property outside a town that’s within 100 metres of a neighbouring boundary without the permission of Council.

You will need to seek permission from Council to keep a rooster on your property that is within a town or on a property outside a town that’s less than 100 metres from neighbouring land.

Please call Council on 8391 7200 if you have any questions that relate to roosters.

Poultry keeping tips

Poultry keeping should not create a nuisance for neighbours.

Adverse effect on amenity value of the area may trigger neighbour complaints which is why it’s important to maintain a healthy and hygienic environment for your poultry.

Here are some tips to reduce the risk of your poultry becoming a nuisance:

• Locate pens, runs and cages as far away as possible from adjoining houses.
• Regularly clean and maintain pens, runs and cages.
• Concrete or paving the floor of  any roosting/nesting areas  allows for easy cleaning.
• Protect roosting/nesting areas from the weather.
• Ensure all food storage containers are kept in a good, clean condition and that they are pest and vermin proof.
• Do not over feed animals as excessive feed will attract vermin and pests. Be careful not to leave any feed out overnight and remove any uneaten food.
• Regularly change the water in drink containers to avoid mosquito breeding.
• Bury or dispose of deceased birds as soon as possible.
• Spread straw around pens, runs and cages to absorb droppings and prevent fly breeding; this straw can be used as mulch for your garden.

Things to avoid:

• Keeping poultry on small allotments.
• Overstocking a property with an excessive numbers of animals.
• Selling eggs without appropriate accreditation from PIRSA.

Bees

Honeybees must not cause a nuisance, this includes interfering with the use or enjoyment of an area such as another person’s property.  If your bees are deemed to be a nuisance council can order their removal.

Council staff might direct you to restrict the number of hives permitted at your property or limit the distance hives can be kept from boundaries.

If you keep bees, you are required to register as a beekeeper with Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA).

Please visit PIRSA’s website for further information on bees and beekeeper registration.

You will be required to notify as a food business with council if you wish to sell honey produced by your bees.

For further information on food business notification and requirements for food businesses please see the Food Safety page.

SA Health Animal Contact Guidelines for handlers, exhibitors, child care services and schools

The SA Health Animal Contact Guidelines provide information on the prevention of illness related to animal contact.

Animal handlers, exhibitors, child care services and schools should ensure SA Health's guidelines are followed to help reduce the risk of illness to themselves, customers and people in their care.