Find Commonwealth, Victorian and state Acts, bills and explanatory memoranda.
All local council laws in Victoria (also known as by-laws) are made possible by the Local Government Act 1989 and a number of other related acts that cover the City of Melbourne.
These local acts cover areas such as streets, parking, drinking in public places, planning and building, recycling, cat and dog licencing and a number of other local issues that may vary between councils depending on whether they are metropolitan or regional, and their demographic profile. In most case there are only a small number of laws in existence and they specifically address issues relevant to that council's area.
Although all Victorian councils must announce their local regulations in the Victorian Government Gazette the full text of these regulations is now available through the specific council's website. For example Yarra City Council's regulations are only available through their website. You can check for local laws under About Us at the top of the page, then look under 'Governance' and then 'Local Laws in Yarra'. Other councils may arrange their laws differently but most can be located with a search for 'Local Laws'.
Find your Victorian Local Council websites here.
Interstate Local Councils can be found via the Australian Local Government Association on the Australian, State, Territories and Local governments home page.
Some, but not all older local laws, especially those prior to 1960, are available in the Victorian Government Gazette
Staff at the State Library of Victoria do not offer legal advice. Every effort is made to provide up to date, accurate and relevant legal information but this is not intended to replace qualified legal advice.
