Regional NSW Livestock Rules, by Council

The state-wide NSW article covers the defaults set by SEPP 2008 and the Local Government (General) Regulation — but individual councils can and do set their own numbers on top of that. This page collects what each regional NSW council's own published policy actually says, sourced directly from each council wherever possible. Looking for a Greater Sydney council instead? See the Sydney Metro livestock rules by council page.

Central Coast Council

Central Coast's residential animal-keeping policy allows a maximum of 10 fowl/poultry and 10 pairs of pigeons on residential land under 1200m². Horses, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats are not recommended in residential areas. Poultry housing must sit at least 4.5m from a dwelling, public hall, school or food premises for fowl, or 30m for other poultry types such as ducks and geese.

Sources: Central Coast Council — Neighbourhood Concerns; Keeping of Animals in Residential Areas Policy (Council PDF)

Eurobodalla Shire Council

On standard residential land, Eurobodalla allows up to 5 small fowl/poultry (under 2kg — chickens, pheasants, quail, call and mallard ducks) plus up to 2 large fowl/poultry (over 2kg — large ducks, geese); land zoned R5 Large Lot Residential allows up to 10 fowl. Roosters are only permitted on R5 or rural-zoned land, not standard residential. Peacocks, guinea fowl and turkeys specifically aren't permitted in residential areas at all, regardless of the general tiered allowance.

Sources: Eurobodalla Council — Keeping Backyard Chickens and Roosters; Keeping Backyard Chickens and Roosters in Eurobodalla

Kempsey Shire Council

Kempsey applies the SEPP (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 defaults: up to 10 chickens on large-lot residential land, dropping to the standard 5-bird default elsewhere. Roosters are not permitted except on land zoned R5 Large Lot Residential. Poultry yards must be limited to 15m² floor area on residential land (50m² on rural land), a maximum height of 3m (residential) or 7m (rural), one per property, 3m from any boundary, and 4.5m from a dwelling/school/food premises for fowl or guinea fowl — rising to 30m for other poultry types.

Sources: Kempsey Shire Council — Keeping Chickens; Keeping Poultry/Fowl Policy Guidelines, April 2023 (Council PDF)

Albury City Council

Albury applies the SEPP 2008 state defaults directly: no more than 5 fowl or poultry, and no roosters, on standard residential land; up to 10 fowl or poultry on land zoned R5. Housing must sit in the rear yard, under 15m² floor area, at least 3m from each boundary, with only one poultry development permitted per lot.

Source: Albury City Council — Poultry and Livestock

Wollongong City Council

Wollongong doesn't set its own separate numeric cap — it applies the NSW state default under the Local Government (General) Regulation directly (5 birds standard residential, 10 on large lots/R5 zoning). Roosters are not permitted in residential areas.

Source: Wollongong City Council — Chickens

Ballina Shire Council

Ballina applies the standard state setbacks: chickens and guinea fowl must sit at least 4.5m from a dwelling, public hall, school or food premises; other poultry types need 30m. Poultry house floors must be paved with concrete or mineral asphalt under roosts, unless the structure sits more than 15.2m from a dwelling or uses clean sand instead.

Source: Ballina Shire Council — Keeping Animals

Wingecarribee Shire Council

Wingecarribee relies on the state SEPP defaults directly, with no separate numeric cap of its own — if your setup meets the standard Exempt and Complying Development Codes, no council approval is needed. Council's own advice is blunt about roosters: "if you live in town, don't have a rooster." Council also recommends talking to neighbours before buying hens and avoiding siting the enclosure near a boundary fence.

Source: Wingecarribee Shire Council — Poultry

Shoalhaven City Council

Shoalhaven applies the SEPP 2008 state defaults directly: no more than 5 fowl or poultry, and no roosters, on standard residential land; up to 10 fowl or poultry on land zoned R5. Fowls (Gallus gallus) or guinea fowl must sit at least 4.5m from a dwelling, public hall, school or food premises; other poultry types need 30m. Housing must be at least 3m from each lot boundary.

For goats, sheep, alpacas and llamas, Shoalhaven's own fact sheet notes there are no specific setback rules — different from most councils, which set a fixed distance from dwellings. More broadly, council advises that cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and roosters generally shouldn't be kept in standard residential areas at all.

Sources: Shoalhaven City Council — Health Standards for Keeping Poultry (PDF); Keeping Animals

Lithgow City Council

Lithgow applies the SEPP 2008 state defaults directly: no more than 5 fowl/poultry, and no roosters, on residential land outside Zone R5; up to 10 fowl/poultry within Zone R5. Housing must sit in the rear yard, under 15m² floor area, and at least 4.5m from a dwelling, public hall, school or food premises. Council recommends checking your property's exact zoning via the NSW Planning Portal before assuming which limit applies.

Source: Lithgow City Council — Keeping of Poultry

Snowy Monaro Regional Council

Snowy Monaro allows up to 10 chickens in a residential area without needing council approval; keeping more than 10 requires an approval application. Roosters are not encouraged and are specifically prohibited in residential areas under Council's Development Control Plan 2014. Enclosures must sit in the rear yard, under 15m², at least 4.5m from the house and 3m from the road frontage and residential boundary.

Source: Snowy Monaro Regional Council — Keeping of Chickens (PDF)

Tweed Shire Council

Tweed is notably more restrictive than most NSW councils: under its Development Control Plan, a fowl house for keeping chickens, hens and roosters is only exempt/complying development on land zoned RURAL — not standard residential zones. Council also applies the state Schedule 2 Part 5 baseline for poultry generally, and in some cases layers on additional, more onerous local requirements developed specifically for the Tweed area over many years.

Sources: Tweed Shire Council — Section A10, Exempt and Complying Development (PDF); Livestock and Other Animals

Maitland City Council

Maitland's Keeping of Animals Policy sets a maximum of 10 birds for poultry other than fowls (ducks, geese, turkeys and similar), kept at least 30m from a dwelling — a notably higher allowance for non-fowl poultry than most councils, which typically cap this category lower. Roosters are prohibited in areas zoned residential under the Maitland Local Environmental Plan 2011.

Source: Maitland City Council — Keeping of Animals Policy (PDF)

Port Stephens Council

Port Stephens applies the standard state setbacks: fowls (chickens and guinea fowl) must be kept at least 4.5m from a dwelling, public hall, school or food premises, while other poultry types need 30m. Poultry houses need concrete or mineral asphalt flooring under roosts, unless situated on clean sand or more than 15.2m from a dwelling, public hall or school. Council relies on the state Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 and SEPP 2008 rather than publishing a separately adopted numeric cap of its own.

Source: Port Stephens Council — Animals and Pets

Orange City Council

Orange doesn't set a hard legal cap for most pets, but formally recommends limiting suburban properties to 5 poultry (chickens, ducks, geese etc.), alongside 2 cats, 1 pet rat, and up to 10 mice or guinea pigs. Roosters cannot be kept in residential backyards under the state SEPP. A coop up to 15m² housing up to 5 fowls can be built without development consent, provided it sits at least 4.5m from a dwelling.

Source: Orange City Council — Pets and Animals

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council

QPRC applies the standard SEPP 2008 numbers: up to 5 fowl or poultry per residential property, housed at least 3m from each boundary and 4.5m from a dwelling. Council's own published guidance on roosters is ambiguous in places — it addresses handling noise complaints about crowing rather than stating a clear blanket rule, so confirm the current rooster position directly with council before assuming either way.

Source: Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council — Keeping Poultry in Urban Areas (PDF)

Dungog Shire Council

Dungog's Local Orders Policy sets specific per-species rules beyond poultry. Sheep, goats and alpacas: kept at least 9m from the nearest dwelling or public building, with a general guide of one animal per 0.5 hectare of pastured land; billy goats and rams shouldn't ordinarily be kept on residential premises, and fencing must be strong enough to prevent escape. Pigs: maximum of one, kept at least 60m from the nearest dwelling or public building, with dung disposal restrictions to protect water supplies.

Source: Dungog Shire Council — Keeping of Animals (PDF)

Federation Council

Federation Council's Local Orders Policy sets specific conditions for sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas and camels: a minimum of 0.4 hectares of land is required, with a maximum of 3 animals combined across these species per property (varying by animal type and size), kept at least 10m from any dwelling, school, shop, office, factory, workshop or church. Exceptions above these limits can be sought from council and are assessed case by case.

Source: Federation Council — Keeping of Animals and Birds Local Orders Policy (PDF)

Greater Hume Shire Council

Greater Hume's Local Orders Policy sets a clear land-based threshold for goats: no goats may be kept on premises with a free land area less than 0.4 hectares. The policy also notes that a Property Identification Code (PIC) from NSW Local Land Services is required for anyone keeping cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer, bison, buffalo, camelids, horses or donkeys, or 100+ poultry or 10+ emus/ostriches, regardless of number.

Source: Greater Hume Shire Council — Local Orders Policy for Keeping of Animals or Birds (PDF)

City of Newcastle

Newcastle takes a different structural approach: rather than a blanket numeric cap, its published guidelines for poultry, pigs, horses and cattle are only formally binding once council serves a specific Section 124 order (under the Local Government Act 1993) on an individual premises — they're offered as "a good guide" in the meantime. In practice, council advises limiting animals to a manageable number and avoiding roosters in residential areas due to noise, but there's no fixed number published upfront the way most councils provide.

Source: City of Newcastle — Birds and Other Animals

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