Everything you need to know about keeping birds, bees, and other animals on your property in the City of Mitcham, plus how to report a noisy animal or bird.

Your responsibility as an animal, bee or bird owner

Your animals and birds must not be a nuisance

In the City of Mitcham, you’re allowed to keep animals, bees and birds on your property as long as they don’t become a nuisance or cause injury.

You’ll find a full set of guidelines by reading the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act 2016, and we’ve also listed some common complaints below:

• You have too many animals or birds
• Your animal or bird is too noisy
• Your animal or bird generates excessive dust or odour
• Your animal or bird attracts flies, rats, mice or other vermin
• The nature and location the animal or bird’s housing is unsafe or unhygienic
• Your animal or bird isn’t adequately contained on the land
• Your animal or bird is allowed to wander or fly from or to land either alone or in numbers
• There are excessive droppings

This list is designed to give guidance to the community, and shouldn’t be used to bind the City of Mitcham in any way.

How to report a noisy, sick or dead animal or bird in your area

Reporting a noisy animal or bird

If you want to complain about a noisy bird or animal, you’ll need to complete a noise log sheet. For more information, give our customer service centre a call on 1300 133 466 during normal office hours.

Reporting a sick, dead, or injured animal or bird

If you need to report sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife, visit Fauna Rescue of South Australia.

Information for bird owners

Keeping noisy birds

When we say ‘noisy bird’, we mean roosters, geese, pheasants, parrots, cockatoos, galahs or peacocks.

You’re not allowed to keep any birds if they’re deemed to be a nuisance — that is, too noisy — by a neighbour or by the City of Mitcham.

Keeping poultry

When we say ‘poultry’, that includes fowls, ducks, geese, pheasants and turkeys of either sex over the age of four weeks. These birds must be contained in a structure that:

• Has a floor area of at least one square metre for each bird
• Has a shelter of solid construction with a rainproof roof and an internal floor surface constructed of or paved with concrete or other material, with a smooth, hard, impervious finish with a floor area of at least 0.3 square metres for each bird
• Is maintained at all times in good order and repair, and in a clean and sanitary condition free from rats, vermin, offensive odours or conditions
• Is located:
  • At least 25 metres from the front boundary of the property
  • At least one metre from any boundary of the property
  • At least 15 metres from any dwelling or one metre from a shed

Food and rats

You shouldn’t keep poultry unless:

• You have vermin-proof containers to store your birds’ food (such as bran, pollard and grain), and these are kept clean, sanitary and in good order and condition
• All food is stored inside the containers until the poultry is ready to eat
• The land is kept free from rats and mice

Dead animals or birds

If a bird or animal that you own dies, you’ll need to bury or lawfully dispose of it in a hygienic way. You can’t let any dead animal or bird stay on your property unless it’s properly buried.

Information for beekeepers

You’re allowed to keep bees on your property if you follow the PIRSA guidelines, and the bees don’t become a nuisance or dangerous.

Read the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act 2016 and the Livestock Act 1997 and the Livestock Regulations 2013.

Restrictions on beekeeping

You can’t keep bees in any area where they might be a nuisance or dangerous. You also can’t keep bees in any areas that are within 50 metres of

• Any building that’s occupied by another person
• Any street, road or public place

You must tell us if you want to keep bees

Before you get bees, you’ll need to tell your neighbours where you plan to keep the bees, how many hives and how you plan to look after them.

You must register your hive

If you keep honey bees, you must register your details as a beekeeper every 12 months and your hives with PIRSA.

Keeping honeybees involves responsibilities to protect the industry and your neighbours. PIRSA has developed a Recreational Beekeeping - A guide to beekeeping in South Australia which provides information you will need to get started including:

• registering your hive
• preventing nuisance, such as swarming
• pest and disease identification, prevention and control
• hive management
• hive placement
• sting prevention and first aid
• honey processing

If you have any questions, give our community safety officer a call on 1300 133 466.