The community are invited to have their say on five updated and two new proposed by-laws for the Wattle Range Council area.
By-laws are local rules made under the Local Government Act 1999. They help Council manage activities across the area, including what is allowed, what needs a permit and what is not permitted.
The proposed by-laws include:
- By-law No. 1 - Permits & Penalties
- By-law No. 2 - Movable Signs
- By-law No. 3 - Roads
- By-law No. 4 - Local Government Land
- By-law No. 5 – Dogs
By-law No. 6 - Foreshore(REMOVED and merged into By-law No.4)- By-law No.6– Cats (NEW)
- By-law No. 7 – Domestic Livestock Management (NEW)
By-laws support Council to keep the community safe, comfortable and well managed.
Most of the current by-laws were last reviewed in 2019 and must be reviewed every seven years. This review considers changes to legislation, Council activities and community needs.
Council’s Director of Development Services, Emma Clay, said most changes are minor and reflect updated legislation or formatting improvements. She said Council is committed to making sure the by-laws reflect community expectations.
As part of the review, some by-laws have been simplified. By-law No. 4 (Local Government Land) and By-law No. 6 (Foreshore) have been combined into one.
Two new by-laws have also been developed, a Domestic Livestock By-law for keeping domestic livestock on residential and vacant land in townships, and a Cats By-law, which has been drafted considering feedback to a survey of the community.
Earlier consultation showed strong support for Council to take a more active role in cat management.
The proposed Cats By-law would require cat registration and introduce nuisance offences (such as noise or spraying). It will also set a limit of three cats per household and allow Council to put containment requirements in place.
Measures to prevent cats wandering would be introduced later to give cat owners time to prepare, such as modifying homes or installing cat runs.
Ms Clay said Council wants to ensure the community feels heard, ask questions and has the opportunity to have their say.
“Our staff will be available at drop-in sessions in Beachport, Millicent and Penola, where the community can pop in and chat with us about the proposed by-laws.”
Further information including a summary and detailed proposed changes to each by-law, township maps and opportunities for the community to ‘have your say’ can be found at www.engage.wattlerange.sa.gov.au.
Community are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed by-laws. Feedback will be received until Monday 13 July 2026.