Keeping Horses – Planning Requirements
This page provides information about planning and development requirements for keeping horses within the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale.
It is intended to assist property owners and applicants in understanding when development approval or building approval may be required, and what information is needed as part of an application.
In most cases, development approval is required to keep horses. Development approval is generally not required only where a lot is zoned Rural or Rural Smallholding and no works are proposed. This is a relatively limited circumstance, as many horse keeping properties in the Shire are zoned Rural Residential.
On this page
Planning zones Land use definitions Development application requirements Number of horses Stables & shelters Manure management Timeframes & contact
Planning Zones
The Shire’s Local Planning Scheme No. 3 (LPS3) lists the following zones where the keeping of horses can generally be considered through the development application process:
- Rural Residential (some exceptions apply)
- Rural
- Rural Smallholding
- Urban Development
Please note: There are some areas within these zones where the keeping of horses is not permitted.
Land Use Definitions
Animal Establishment
An Animal Establishment land use applies where horses are bred, boarded, trained or cared for. Generally, the defining factor is that the horses are kept for a commercial purpose.
This land use is Discretionary (‘D’) within the Rural Smallholding and Rural zones and can be considered through a development application.
Rural Pursuit / Hobby Farm
A Rural Pursuit / Hobby Farm land use is where an occupier of the land rears, agists, stables or trains horses. In this instance the horses are privately owned.
- Permitted (‘P’) within the Rural Smallholding and Rural zones (approval may not be required where proposed works comply with relevant standards)
- Discretionary (‘D’) within the Rural Residential and Urban Development zones (can be considered subject to an application for development approval)
Development application requirements
You will need the following in order to submit your development application to the Shire:
- Development Application Form
- Copy of Certificate of Title
- Site plan
- Elevations of any proposed buildings/structures
- Equine Management Plan addressing:
- Number and size of stock
- Stabling and paddock regime (including irrigation)
- Protection of existing vegetation and any proposed revegetation
- Management of drains, waterways and wetlands
- Management of waste and dust
Fees
Development applications for the keeping of horses: $147 (for proposals worth less than $50,000).
Change of use applications: $295, in accordance with the Shire’s Schedule of Fees and Charges.
Equine Management Plan
An Equine Management Plan must demonstrate that a proposal would not result in adverse environmental, health and social impacts.
The Equine management plan should include the following details:
- Number and sizes of horses proposed to be kept on the property;
- How any existing vegetation would be protected;
- Whether the paddocks are or proposed to be irrigated and how pasture cover will be maintained;
- Number of paddocks and size of each paddock;
- Details and size of any stables/shelters and how drainage to prevent nutrient runoff will be managed;
- Details of number of hours per day horses would be off the paddocks/stabled;
- Manure and waste management practices (refer to Health Local Law);
- Dust Management (refer to Health Local Law);
- Measures proposed to protect drains, waterways or wetlands where applicable.
Number of horses
The number of horses allowed is based on the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Stocking Rate Guidelines for Rural Small Holdings.
The Stocking Rate Guidelines provide a method and information for determining the base stocking rate for properties. The number of stock that can be kept varies based on the soil-landscapes.
Stocking rates are the numbers of stock, e.g. sheep, cattle, horses, emus or any other type of animal that can consistently be kept on a piece of pasture all year round with minor additional feed and without causing environmental degradation.
Officers calculate the stocking rate by considering the following factors:
- Natural features on the property;
- Soil type;
- Pasture management;
- Size, setbacks of pastures; and
- Type of livestock.
Stable and shelter requirements
A building permit application is required for a stable/shelter that is more than 10m², more than 2.4m in height, or attached to another structure.
The erection of a stable will not be permitted on a property less than 4,000 square metres in area except in areas designated for equine purposes in the vicinity of the Byford Trotting Complex
Stables must:
- have a proper separate stall for each horse
- have each wall and roof constructed of an impervious material;
- have on all sides of the building between the wall and the roof a clear opening of a least 150 millimetres in height, unless otherwise approved by the Council; and
- have walls of not less than 3 metres, when measured both horizontally or vertically.
- Every stable must have impervious rat-proof receptacles for the storing of horse feed such as chaff, bran, pollard, grain or seed and the like.
- Animals should not be stabled or yarded within 15m of a dwelling
The upper surface of a stable floor must:
- be raised at least 75 millimetres above the surface of the ground;
- be constructed of cement, concrete or other similar impervious materials;
- have a fall of 1 in 100 to a drain which shall empty into a trapped gully situated outside the stable and shall discharge to an approved treatment and disposal system;
- have an area of not less than 11 square metres for each stall.
A stable constructed with a sand floor may be permitted by the Council, subject to the following:
- the site must be well drained with the highest known water table no closer than 1.5 metres below the sand floor level which may be achieved artificially;
- sand must be clean, coarse and free from dust;
- footings to each stable shall be a minimum of 450mm below ground level;
- the minimum floor area of each stall shall not be less than 15 square metres and walls shall not be less than 3 metres vertically or 4 metres horizontally and have a roof of not less than 50% of the floor area.
Manure management
An owner or occupier of premises on which a stable is located must manage manure and waste in accordance with the Shire’s Health Local Law, including collection, storage and fly control requirements.
An owner or occupier of premises on which a stable is located must:
- provide mobile or free-standing fly-proof receptacles of a size, number and construction required by an Environmental Health Officer situated at not less than 15 metres from a dwelling house and into which shall be placed all wastes, inclusive of soiled bedding and manure produced on the premises;
- keep the lids of the receptacles closed except when manure is being deposited or removed;
- cause the receptacles to be emptied at least once a week and as often as may be necessary to prevent them becoming offensive or a breeding place for flies or other vectors of disease;
- keep the receptacles so far as possible free from flies or other insects by spraying with a residual insecticide or other effective means; and
- cause all manure produced on the premises to be collected daily and placed in the receptacles;
Manure collection and storage requirements do not apply where horses are free-ranging on land with an area greater than 2 hectares and no nuisance is created.
Application timeframes
Statutory timeframe for determination: 60 days, or 90 days if consultation with a neighbour is required.
Upon submission of your application, you will receive an acknowledgement letter providing details of the assessing officer, who can be contacted for an update.