Regional Queensland Livestock Rules, by Council

Queensland has no single state-wide bird-count default — the state-wide QLD article covers what the state actually sets (biosecurity entity registration, animal welfare standards), but the actual number of chickens or livestock you can keep comes down to your own council's local law. This page collects what each regional Queensland council's own published policy actually says, sourced directly from each council wherever possible. Looking for a South East Queensland council instead? See the South East Queensland livestock rules by council page.

Cairns Regional Council

Cairns tiers its permit-free poultry allowance across three property-size bands: 6 poultry on land 450–799m², 9 on land 800–1,999m², and 12 on land 2,000–10,000m². Caged birds follow a separate scale: 10 maximum on land up to 799m², 30 on land 800–4,500m². "Special birds" aren't permitted at all under 20,000m², and roosters aren't permitted under 10,000m².

Cairns' table for larger livestock is detailed and land-tiered: goats — not permitted under 2,000m², up to 2 on 2,000–3,999m², up to 4 on 4,000–10,000m². Sheep — not permitted under 2,000m², up to 4 above that (to 10,000m²); rams not permitted under 10,000m² regardless. Pigs — not permitted under 10,000m², up to 4 above it. Bulls, horses, donkeys and cows — not permitted under 2,000m², 1 permitted on 2,000–10,000m²; stallions need a permit even above 10,000m². Racing pigeons scale from not-permitted under 600m² up to 200 on land over 799m².

Source: Cairns Regional Council — Birds, Poultry & Other Animals

Central Highlands Regional Council

Central Highlands takes a notably strict approach for some species: roosters, pigs, stallions, bulls, emus, ostriches, peacocks, peahens, guinea fowl and pheasants are never allowed in an urban area at all, regardless of permit. Horses, cows, sheep and goats can be kept with a permit. Hens are tiered by block size: not allowed under 350m², up to 5 hens on blocks 350–500m², and up to 10 hens above 500m² — with the hen house required at least 2m from all boundary fences and 10m from any neighbour's house.

Source: Central Highlands Regional Council — Livestock and Wildlife

Toowoomba Regional Council

Toowoomba's Subordinate Local Law No. 1.5 tiers hens/chooks clearly: up to 10, no approval required; 11–20, additional animal approval required (not preferred by council); 21 or more, not permitted at all. Cockatoos and galahs are capped at 6 without a permit, budgerigars and canaries at 30. Most distinctively, geese, guinea fowl, turkeys, emus, ostriches and peacocks aren't permitted in residential areas at all, regardless of number — there's no permit pathway for these species residentially. None of these limits apply in non-residential areas.

Source: Toowoomba Regional Council — Animal Breeding and Keeping Limits

Townsville City Council

Townsville's Subordinate Local Law No. 2 sets a detailed table: sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, ostriches or emus — not permitted under 2,000m², up to 4 on 2,001–4,000m², up to 6 on 4,001–6,000m². Roosters aren't permitted on any allotment under 4,000m². Poultry other than roosters, ducks and geese are capped at 6 under 1,000m², rising to 12 on land 1,001–4,000m². Horses, donkeys, cows, bulls, buffalo and camels follow their own tiered limits within the same local law.

Source: Townsville City Council — Subordinate Local Law No. 2, Animal Management 2011 (PDF)

Rockhampton Regional Council

Rockhampton requires approval for: more than 1 cow on land under 2,000m²; more than 1 bull under 10,000m²; more than 1 sheep, goat, alpaca or llama under 20,000m². Ordinary birds need approval at 10–20 birds on land under 801m², or 20–40 birds on land 801–2,500m². Most strikingly, even a single "nuisance bird" — specifically rooster, goose, cockatoo, galah or peacock — requires approval on any allotment under 20,000m², effectively banning these species without council sign-off on all but the largest blocks. More than 2 beehives also needs approval on land 800–1,000m².

Source: Rockhampton Regional Council — Local Law 2, Animal Management 2011

Mackay Regional Council

Mackay permits up to 6 poultry, ducks or geese (not roosters) without approval on an allotment between 700–2,000m². Roosters are capped at 2 without approval, but only on allotments of 4,000m² or more — below that, none are permitted without approval. Enclosures must sit at least 10m from a neighbouring residence or food storage area, 6m from any road, 1m from the property boundary, and behind/at the rear of any residence on the property.

Source: Mackay Regional Council — Keeping of Poultry

Bundaberg Regional Council

Bundaberg's Subordinate Local Law No. 2 tiers sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, deer and similar animals by allotment size, permitting more as the property grows — roughly scaling from a handful on 4,000–8,000m² up to around 8 animals on 16,001–20,000m². For poultry: a rooster isn't permitted at all on land under 4,000m², and even above that a maximum rooster density applies; 20 or more poultry (other than roosters) requires approval on land under 4,000m².

Source: Bundaberg Regional Council — Subordinate Local Law No. 2, Animal Management 2011 (PDF)

Gympie Regional Council

Gympie prohibits more than 25 poultry, roosters or cockerels on any urban property, dropping to more than 20 on an urban property 800m² or larger. For horses, mules, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, deer, alpacas, llamas and goats, Gympie is strict: keeping any of these is prohibited outright on land under 4,000m², and even on larger urban properties, no more than 1 animal per 4,000m² is permitted — all these species are treated identically, with no separate, more generous allowance for smaller animals like goats the way some other councils provide.

Source: Gympie Regional Council — Other Animals

Gladstone Regional Council

Gladstone permits 6 poultry (chickens, pheasants, partridge, quail, dove and pigeons excluding racing pigeons) on land up to 1,500m², rising to 10 on land 1,500–4,000m². For donkeys, cows, bulls, camels, deer, sheep, goats, llamas and pigs, none are permitted under 10,000m²; 4 are permitted on 10,000–20,000m²; 6 on 20,001–40,000m².

Source: Gladstone Regional Council — Requirements for Animal Owners

Western Downs Regional Council

Western Downs uses a detailed density system within its designated town areas. Horses, donkeys, deer, cows and bulls need a permit under 4,000m², or on larger land where the density exceeds 1 animal per 2,000m². Sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, ducks and geese — grouped together, distinctively including waterfowl with the grazing animals rather than with poultry — need a permit under 4,000m² or above a density of 1 per 1,000m². Poultry (excluding roosters) and racing pigeons need a permit in multi-residential premises or once density exceeds 5 birds per 1,000m². Guinea fowl and roosters are prohibited outright on any town allotment under 4,000m². Pigs, ostriches and emus are prohibited entirely within designated town areas, regardless of size. Beehives scale from 2 on 400–1,000m² up to 10 on 2,000–4,000m², with none at all permitted under 400m².

Source: Western Downs Regional Council — What Animals Am I Allowed to Keep? (PDF)

Livingstone Shire Council

Livingstone requires approval for more than 5 (but not more than 20) ordinary birds on land under 20,000m². Livingstone's definition of "nuisance birds" is distinctive: it includes roosters, ducks, geese, cockatoos, galahs and peacocks — treating ducks and geese as nuisance birds rather than ordinary poultry, unlike most councils. Even a single nuisance bird requires approval on any allotment under 20,000m². Separate fact sheets cover horses, pigs, cattle, and sheep/goats/alpacas/llamas specifically. Anyone who owns livestock, horses, beehives or more than 100 captive birds must also register as a biosecurity entity with the Queensland Government.

Source: Livingstone Shire Council — Permitted Number of Animals

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