Local laws help to govern the diverse communities of the Sunshine Coast region and reviews provide an opportunity to look at current issues and impacts and identify suitable amendments.

Council is committed to ensuring the local laws remain current and responsive to community and environmental needs by carrying out regular reviews.

Council resolved to propose amendments to the local laws at the Ordinary Meeting on 8 December 2022 as summarised below:

• Creating tiered categories of penalties allowing Council officers greater flexibility to offer a lower cost infringement notice proportionate to the offence.
• Provision to immediately dispose of chemical products and biological goods to mitigate the risks associated with storage.
• Provision to immediately dispose of impounded items of negligible value to reduce costs.
• Creation of an extraordinary building work permit for outside of standard hours.
• Amendment of the definition of the management of domestic cats in public places to include the requirement that the cat is restrained on a leash held by a person or restrained to a fixed object (and supervised) or within an enclosure.
• Creation of a ‘disposal order’ (as an alternative to a destruction order) to include the ability to re-home suitable impounded dogs.
• Update of maps for exclusion of dogs from specific public places, including in areas to be designated within Muller Park at Bli Bli and the Maleny Show Grounds.
• Addition of Dog off Leash Areas for Flintwood Crescent Palmview, Mapleton Lilyponds, Quota Memorial Park Nambour, Baringa Forest Park, Annalise Circuit Park Nirimba, Viridian Circuit Park Birtinya and Grand Parade Parrearra.
• Amendment of the minimum standards required for a dog enclosure in the case of a dog enclosure that is solely within a dwelling - must not include a door that opens directly to an area outside the dwelling that would give the dog unrestricted access to a public place.
• Addition of a definition for minimum standards supporting the existing law for keeping animals to improve clarity of the provisions for the community and tightening of the compliance provision for enclosures.
• Addition of specific offences for contravening time limits for use of public pontoons and for contravening a sign closing a sporting facility playing surface to the public.
• Creation of the ability for Council to add and change the boundaries of residential parking permit areas by publishing maps on Council’s website rather than amending the subordinate local law.
• Increase of the unauthorised disability parking penalty to align with State government amendments.

Further details on the proposed amendments are highlighted in the:

• Council Report Ordinary Meeting 8 December 2022, Agenda
• Amendment Local Law No. 1 (Miscellaneous) 2022; and
• Amendment Subordinate Local Law No. 1 (Miscellaneous) 2022.

Further details on the rationale for the proposed amendments are highlighted in following document:

• Overview of Proposed Local Law Amendments - Reason for Change.