A by-law is a law made by a council. By-laws must relate to the functions and powers of councils as established under the Local Government Act 1993 and can only apply to the municipal area of the council that has made the by-law.

Any enquiries regarding the operation of a by-law should be addressed to the relevant Council.

Until 30 June 2005, many councils had meeting procedures by-laws. On 1 July 2005, the Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2005 commenced and all meeting procedures by-laws were repealed by the Local Government (Repeal of By-laws) Order 2005.

The power to make by-laws has been delegated to councils by the Tasmanian Parliament, which has prescribed a detailed process for making of by-laws (See Part 11 of Local Government Act 1993 Sections 145 to 174). By-laws must be tabled in Parliament.

The by-law making process includes a regulatory impact assessment procedure requiring a draft of the by-law to be released for public comment.

A by-law can only be amended by another by-law. Under the Local Government Act 1993, a by-law automatically expires after 10 years. The year in which a by-law was made is shown alongside the title.

The Local Government Division is currently reviewing and updating its by-law directory.  Please refer to individual councils for information on current by-laws.

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