If you live, work or own property in the City of Whittlesea, there are certain local laws you need to be aware of.
Some local laws apply to daily life more often than others.
You should be familiar with laws relating to the following topics so that you know your responsibilities.
There are certain restrictions for starting outdoor fires and burning off in urban and rural areas.
You will need a check whether you need permit for the type of fire you plan to have.
There are also restrictions on what you can burn. You cannot burn:
- treated timber, including pine
- fence palings
- plastic
- green waste
- damp wood
- furniture or hard waste.
For more information and to apply for a permit, see Burning off and fires.
Leash laws
You need to keep your dog on a leash while outside their property, except in designated off-leash dog parks.
If you allow your dog off the lead in a public place or don’t confine them to your property, you may face an on-the-spot fine or it may go to court. Read the Community Local Law 2024(PDF, 7MB) for more details and penalties.
For more information, see Confine your pet.
Pet waste
If your pet toilets in a public place you must pick it up its droppings and dispose of them properly. This includes from any nature strip, footpath, road, park, public place and private property.
This local law applies whether the dog or cat belongs to you or is just temporarily under your care.
If you do not clean up after an animal in your care, you can be issued with an on-the-spot fine of $200, and may have to pay a court imposed penalty of up to $2,000.
Dog and cat poo and public health
Dog and cat poo is unpleasant, contains much of the same bacteria as human waste and may also carry intestinal worms.
When dog and cat poo is not picked up, it can spread illness and wash into waterways and beaches where we swim.
Young children are especially at risk of illness due to people not removing dog and cat poo.
Cleaning up after your dog is easy
Carry plastic (or biodegradable) bags, or a ‘pooper-scooper’ with you when walking your dog. Personal bag carriers are available that attach to your dog’s leash to store plastic bags.
If you're using the plastic bag method:
- place your hand inside the bag
- fold the bag back over your hand and pick up the waste
- remove your hand and tie a knot in the top of the bag
- place the bag in the bin
- wash your hands as soon as possible.
If you have a garage sale, you must contain it to your own property. You must not sell items from vehicles or the nature strip.
If you are displaying signs advertising your sale, you must:
- only display them on the day of the sale
- not place them on roundabouts, on road signs or too close to roads
- not attach them to Council property, as they may cause damage when removed
- remove them on the same day, after the garage sale.
If you don't follow these rules, you may face a fine of up to $400 for each sign.
You can help keep our city clean by placing your rubbish in the bin. If you are caught littering in a public place, you could face an on-the-spot-fine ranging from $311 to $622.
Litter on building sites
Builders must provide bins with lids onsite and regularly throw out contained rubbish.
Litter that can be blown away must be placed in a secure bin so it doesn’t end up in drains, creeks and rivers.
Builders who do not follow these rules may face a fine of up to $1,866 and have to go to court where fines may be up to $10,000.
For more information, see Building Site Code of Practice.
Litter from vehicles and trailers
If you move rubbish or goods in a vehicle or trailer, you must ensure that the load is securely contained. You can contain a large load with ropes tied across it, but you may need to cover any small objects such as paper, sand, soil or rocks with a tarp.
If you let litter fall or blow from your vehicle or trailer, you can face fines ranging from $311 to $622. More serious offences may be taken to court where penalties may be up to $10,000.
For more information, see Report dumped rubbish and litter.
It's important to keep your neighbourhood neat and tidy.
You should ensure that grass, weeds and scrub on your nature strip does not grow to more than 30cm high.
Fire authorities recommend keeping the grass shorter than 10cm to minimise the chance of fire passing from the road onto your property.
For more information, see Nature strips.
It is illegal to cause unreasonable noise from any residential premises, according to the Environment Protection Act 2017.
There are also restrictions around the times that you can make noise during the day.
We investigate various types of unreasonable noise, including residential noise and construction noise.
For more information, see Noise restrictions and complaints.
Vehicle noise
You must not leave a vehicle running for more than 5 minutes while stationary on a residential property, or leave the car radio or sound system at a level that would disturb nearby residents.
You must display your house number clearly to so that service providers can quickly locate and identify your property. For example:
- emergency services (such as Ambulance Victoria, the Melbourne Fire Brigade, Country Fire Authority and State Emergency Services)
- Australia Post
- utility companies
- the Council.
Clear identification of your house number will also help any visitors to locate your property.
Your number display must:
- be placed within half a metre of the front of the property, where it can be easily seen from 5m away
- be at least 7.5 centimetres high if you live in an urban area, and at least 15 centimetres high if you live in a rural area
- use a colour which stands out clearly from the background (for example, much lighter, much darker or reflective).
If your house is on a corner, your number display must face the street that is your house address.
If your property is over 0.8 hectares and the driveway is not on the street that is the house address, your number display must include the street name and number at the front of the driveway.
How we allocate house numbers
We are the only governing body authorised to issue house numbers within the City of Whittlesea, regardless of whether they are residential, commercial or retail developments.
To ensure that house numbers flow logically, we allocate them based on our Street Numbering Policy.
Download the street numbering policy
Street Numbering Policy(PDF, 216KB)
Street Numbering Policy - Accessible(DOCX, 133KB)
We advise other government authorities, emergency agencies and utility companies of allocated house numbers.
These agencies use the allocated numbers, in various emergency mapping systems, as well as in the statewide map base for Victoria.
You must not leave shopping trolleys on roads, footpaths, nature strips, in parks, private property or vacant land. Anyone who leaves a trolley on Council land can be fined.
You should return your shopping trolley to the supermarket collection area to minimise damage to cars and ensure that a trolley will be available next time you go shopping.
Our local laws officers impound all abandoned shopping trolleys and charge supermarkets a return fee.
Businesses are encouraged to collect shopping trolleys that are left out.
You should report any abandoned shopping trolleys using the Trolley Tracker website or phone 1800 641 497.
We encourage all residents and land owners to keep their properties reasonably tidy.
You need to:
- control the amount of household, garden, building rubbish or other material on your property
- prevent trees, plants or grass from growing too high
- remove any graffiti from fences and buildings on your property
- anything being built should not be left incomplete if it will negatively affect the area’s appearance.
If we ask you to clean up your property, you must do so to our local laws officer’s satisfaction, or we may clean it and charge you for the costs.