Regional Victoria Livestock Rules, by Council
Victoria has no single state-wide bird-count default the way NSW does — the state-wide VIC article covers what the state actually sets (PIC thresholds, welfare space standards, rural zoning), but the actual number of chickens or poultry you can keep comes entirely from your own council's local law. This page collects what each regional Victorian council's own published policy actually says, sourced directly from each council wherever possible. Looking for a Greater Melbourne council instead? See the Metro Melbourne livestock rules by council page.
City of Greater Bendigo
Greater Bendigo's Keeping of Animals Local Law tiers allowances by zone: in residential and industrial zones, up to 10 pigeons and poultry are permitted, with roosters and horses requiring a permit (effectively zero without one). In rural zones, the same 10-bird poultry/pigeon allowance applies, but up to 2 roosters and 2 horses are permitted without a permit. Other large agricultural animals (cattle, sheep, pigs, goats) follow the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme's rural regulations rather than a fixed number, and where permitted, require a substantial enclosing fence and at least 0.2 hectares of land per large animal.
Source: City of Greater Bendigo — Keeping Animals; Keeping of Animals Local Law (PDF)
Golden Plains Shire Council
Golden Plains' General Public Amenity Local Law No. 1 gives a concrete worked example that illustrates its property-size-based approach: on a low-density residential block of 2 hectares, a resident can keep, without a permit, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 20 poultry (chooks), 1 rooster and 4 sheep — more generous than most metro Melbourne councils, including permitting a rooster and sheep at this lot size. Keeping more than these numbers requires a permit under Part 3 of the Local Law.
Source: Golden Plains Shire Council — Livestock
Wellington Shire Council
Wellington Shire takes a zone-based approach to horses and similar animals rather than a flat number: in the Farming Zone or Rural Living Zone, keeping follows state and Commonwealth legislation directly with no separate local cap; on a multi-dwelling or flat lot under 400m², they're not permitted at all; in any other zone, including General Residential, a permit is required before keeping horses or donkeys.
Source: Wellington Shire Council — Keeping Animals
Baw Baw Shire Council
Baw Baw's Community Local Law 2024 gives a detailed permit-free table by land size. On land under 1,000m²: 6 poultry, 0 of everything else (horses, sheep/goats/alpacas, pigs, roosters, cattle all zero). On land 1,000–3,999m²: still 6 poultry, but 2 sheep/goats/alpacas become permitted; horses, pigs, roosters and cattle remain at zero. On land 4,000m² or more: poultry becomes unlimited, 2 horses/ponies, 4 sheep/goats/alpacas and 1 head of cattle are permitted — but pigs and roosters stay at zero regardless of land size without a permit.
Source: Baw Baw Shire Council — Other Pets and Livestock
Mitchell Shire Council
Mitchell Shire structures its animal table around three land types: residential land or land under 0.4 hectares, rural land or land over 0.4 hectares, and land zoned farming. On residential land, goats, sheep, and horses/donkeys all require a permit, pigs aren't permitted at all, and poultry is capped at 10 (20 rurally). On rural land over 0.4ha, "controls may apply" replaces the flat permit requirement for goats and sheep, horses get an equine-area exemption in some cases, and pigs shift from banned to permit-required. Roosters follow the same pattern: not permitted residentially, permit required rurally.
Source: Mitchell Shire Council — Number of Animals Permitted on Your Property
City of Greater Geelong
Greater Geelong's Neighbourhood Amenity Local Law sets three tiers (flats/units/townhouses, under 0.4ha in a built-up area, and 0.4–2ha). Poultry (excluding rooster): 0/12/24. Cattle: not allowed/not allowed/2. Sheep, goats and alpacas: 0/0/6. Pigs: not allowed/not allowed/2. A combined maximum of 8 livestock (of any of these types together) applies on the largest tier. Roosters, geese and turkeys aren't permitted on land under 4,000m² without a permit, and no more than 6 different animal types can be kept on any one property up to 2 hectares.
Sources: City of Greater Geelong — Keeping Animals on Your Property; Keeping Backyard Chickens or Ducks
City of Ballarat
Ballarat's Community Local Law 2017 permits up to 5 chickens/fowls (excluding roosters) on urban residential properties — and unlike many councils, no other poultry type is allowed at all in urban residential areas (no ducks, geese, turkeys or guinea fowl) without an Excess Animal Permit. On rural residential blocks, the allowance is substantially larger: reporting on a since-reviewed local law describes up to 40 squabs, 20 pheasants, 2 cockatoos, 5 goats and a horse, with roosters historically permitted at 1 per rural residential block (subject to periodic local law review, so confirm the current position directly with council).
Source: City of Ballarat — Responsible Pet Ownership
Latrobe City Council
Latrobe's Community Amenity Local Law No. 2 permits up to 5 poultry (fowls, bantams, pheasants, ducks and geese combined) on standard residential land, with none permitted at all in multi-unit developments. Roosters are set at zero everywhere. For "other animals" — cattle, horses, goats, swine, pigs, sheep, ostriches and similar — the limit is zero in residential areas, rising to 10 within the Rural Living Zone.
Source: Latrobe City Council — Local Law No. 2, Community Amenity (PDF)
Warrnambool City Council
Warrnambool's Local Law 2, Section 30 permits up to 10 poultry (not including roosters) without a permit. Cattle, sheep and goats are all set at nil — none of these are permitted without a specific permit from council, regardless of property size.
Source: Warrnambool City Council — Pet Ownership
Greater Shepparton City Council
Greater Shepparton's Community Living Local Law No 1 2018 sets three tiers: flats/units/townhouses, standard residential/commercial land, and farming-zoned land under 2 hectares. Poultry (excluding roosters): 0/10/20. Roosters: 0/0/5. Horses and donkeys, cattle, sheep/goats/alpacas, and pigs are each capped identically: 0/0/5 — all entirely zero outside the farming-zone tier, with a combined maximum of 10 livestock (excluding birds) even within that tier.
Source: Greater Shepparton City Council — Conditions and Permits for Keeping Animals
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't all Victorian councils allow the same number of chickens?
Unlike NSW, Victoria has no single state-wide default number set by state policy — each council sets its own limit under its own local law, made under the Domestic Animals Act 1994 and the Local Government Act. That's why the number varies from as few as 4 (Merri-bek) to 10 (Banyule) between councils, even ones right next to each other.
Are roosters ever allowed in Victorian residential areas?
Generally no. Every council covered here sets the maximum number of roosters allowed without a permit at zero in standard residential areas, treating them separately from hens specifically because of crowing complaints.
Does living in a unit or apartment change the rules?
Often yes, and sometimes significantly. Merri-bek, for example, permits 4 chickens on a standard property but none at all in a flat, unit, apartment or townhouse without a specific permit — always check whether your council's table has a separate column for this.
Do bigger properties get a higher poultry limit in Victoria?
Often, yes. Knox exempts land over 4,000m² from its standard numeric cap entirely, and several other councils use tiered tables based on lot size rather than one flat number for the whole municipality.
Where do I find my own council's exact rules if it isn't listed here?
Search "[your council name] keeping of animals" or "[your council name] local law" directly on your council's own website, or phone their customer service line — this page covers a first batch of Victorian councils and more are being added over time.