Crown Land - Frequently Asked Questions What is Crown Land?
Can I park motor vehicles for sale or offer other goods such as firewood for sale on Crown land or roadsides?
Can I place a sign on Crown land or a roadside?
Will the Crown contribute to boundary fencing?
Can I hunt or shoot on Crown land?
What is a Public Reserve?
What is a reserved road?
Can I purchase Crown land?
Can I lease or obtain a licence to use Crown land?
What happens to my application to purchase, lease or use Crown land under licence?
How do I transfer a lease or licence?
What is the difference between a Crown lease and a licence?
Can I camp on crown land?
Further Information
The answers provided with these frequently asked questions are intentionally broad and general. Detailed and specific information should be sought from Crown Land Services. No liability is accepted for action taken as a result of this information.
Crown land is “public land” owned and managed on behalf of all Tasmanians by the State Government. It includes public reserves, school and hospital sites and the verges of most roads in Tasmania.
Crown land that is not reserved under the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 or is not State Forest is managed under the Crown Lands Act 1976 and the Crown Lands Regulations 2001. In a broad sense, this legislation is a set of rules on what can and can’t be done on Crown land and how Crown land is sold, leased or made available for use under licence.
The general public does not automatically have a right to enter on Crown land. In general, the public may freely enter on beaches and public reserves but not school and hospital sites, reserved roads and other areas where access may be restricted by signs.
No.
No. Not without a licence from the Department and planning approval from the local Council.
Generally, no. The Crown is exempt from contributing to the cost of boundary fencing under the Boundary Fences Act 1908. Some Government Departments do contribute on a “no liability basis” to the cost of boundary fencing adjacent to Government owned residential housing and other Government buildings where security of Government property is an important issue.
Most large tracts of Crown land in Tasmania are now State Forest or reserved under either the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 or the Crown Lands Act 1976.
Forestry Tasmania manages State Forests and has local District Offices where enquiries may be made regarding hunting and the management of State Forests.
Hunting enquiries for other Crown lands should be directed to the District Offices of the Parks and Wildlife Service at www.parks.tas.gov.au .
The Crown Lands Regulations 2001 govern hunting and the use of firearms on Crown land Public Reserves. Enquiries should be made to the local office of the Parks and Wildlife Service at www.parks.tas.gov.au before hunting on or taking firearms into Public Reserves.
Public Reserves were created by the Regional Forest Agreement (Land Classification) Act 1998. They comprise all those parcels of land shown on the 1:25,000 map series of Tasmania and the 1:100,000 maps of King and Flinders Islands, that are shown as reserves on those maps, unless the parcels have been specifically reserved as State Forest or Forest Reserves under the Forestry Act 1920 or for natural or cultural heritage purposes under the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002.
Activities in Public Reserves are governed by the Crown Lands Regulations 2001, which are effectively the set of rules for the public using those lands.
Most of the coastal and river reserves in Tasmania are Public Reserves as are other popular holiday and camping spots on Crown land. However there are exceptions such as the Tamar River upstream of the Batman Bridge which is a Conservation Area.
A reserved road, also known as a “surveyed road”, is a strip of Crown land usually 20.12 metres wide which has been retained by the Crown for future road access by private landowners to their private property.
The general public does not have a right to enter upon or use a reserved road. A licence is required to authorise the use of a reserved road.
Adjoining landowners may apply to purchase, lease or licence reserved roads, that they have identified.
In some cases, yes. Usually Crown land surplus to a Government need or public use and meeting minimum lot size under the local Council’s Planning Scheme is offered for sale by public auction through local real estate firms.
However where the land does not meet the required minimum lot size, it may be offered for sale to the adjoining landowners by tender. Where there is only one adjoining owner it may be sold to that owner by private treaty.
Crown land is sold at market value as determined by the Director General of Lands on the advice of the Valuer General and having regard to the costs of obtaining a title for the land and any improvements on the land such as timber and fencing.
Crown land throughout the State has been assessed under the Crown Land Assessment and Classification (CLAC) Project and those properties that will be considered for sale have been identified.
"Consider for Sale" means that the property has the potential to be sold. Whether or not it is sold will depend on a more detailed assessment.
No expressions of interest or applications for purchase of particular properties are being accepted or considered as part of the CLAC Project because the detailed assessment of sale suitability, and the type and timing of the property sale, will be determined over time as that property is considered in detail.
All property sales will be carried out in accordance with the Crown Lands Act 1976.
A public sale will be conducted for those properties suitable to be sold on the open market. Properties sold on the open market will be listed by the Department of Treasury and Finance on their property sales website at www.treasury.tas.gov.au/propertysales or on the CLAC Project website at Crown Land for Sale Any queries regarding the sale of a listed property can be directed to the appointed real estate agent or the contact indicated on the website listing.
Properties not suitable for sale on the open market, such as lots below the minium planning scheme size or without access, will be usually sold for adhesion to an adjoining property. Owners of any properties bordering Crown land to be sold in this manner through the CLAC Project will be advised of the proposed sale.
Properties with natural or cultural values may be sold with a covenant to protect those values.
Yes, if the intended use is compatible with the reasons why the Government is continuing to own the land. Examples of leased and licensed occupations of Crown land include:- grazing, marine structures, fish processing factories.
Leases and licences are no longer granted for shack site purposes.
The public and adjoining landowners may apply to lease or use under licence from the Government, Crown land that they have identified, by completing the application form on this website under Information on how to apply to use Crown land.
All applications to purchase, lease or use Crown land are considered on their merits. The Department will determine whether or not there is a need for the Government to retain ownership of the Crown land in the public interest, or whether or not the intended use under a lease or licence is compatible with the reasons why the Government is retaining ownership of the land. For example, the land may be formally reserved for public use such as recreation or for the use of another Government Department or Agency.
All applications for the use of Crown land are assessed against the natural and cultural heritage values of the land and compliance with environmental requirements. For example, if the land contains species of high conservation value, it is unlikely that the land will be sold, leased or allowed into private use, if the use will adversely impact on those values.
In addition the Department seeks the views of the local Council on the merits of the application and other Government Agencies such as Forestry and Mines to determine whether or not they have or foresee a requirement for the land.
The Department may also require the applicant to pay for detailed botanical or cultural heritage surveys if the values of the Crown land are largely unknown.
Applications to purchase, lease or use Crown land must be assessed thoroughly to meet the expectations of the general public that the Government carefully looks after its interests in Crown land, hence the assessment process may take several months to complete.
It is necessary to lodge a formal Transfer form. A Transfer form detailing the required information is available on this website and instructions on how to complete the form are also on this website: Information on how to Transfer an agreement.
A lease is issued for a set term of years. If the issue of a lease has been approved and the proposed lease term is to be greater than 10 years, the Department will require the applicant to obtain a planning permit from the local Council. Leases also confer exclusive possession ie. no one else can use or enter upon the leasehold land without the lessee’s permission.
In contrast, licences do not give exclusive possession. For example, most marine structures along the coastline are held under annual licences and in not being granted exclusive possession, enable the general public to walk along the coastline unimpeded by the structures.
A planning permit is also required from the local government council if the issue of the lease or licence involves the building of structures of other works on the Crown land.
You may camp only where signs permit camping. Most large tracts of Crown land in Tasmania are now State Forest or reserved under either the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 or the Crown Lands Act 1976.
Forestry Tasmania manages State Forests and has local District Offices where enquiries may be made regarding camping and the management of State Forests. Camping enquiries for other Crown lands should be directed to the District Offices of the Parks and Wildlife Service, see www.parks.tas.gov.au.
To make an appointment or ask a question email CrownLandServices.Enquiries@dpipwe.tas.gov.au OR leave a message on phone number 03 6233 6413. You will be contacted the next business day.
Contact: Crown Land ServicesCrown Land Services Branch
GPO Box 44
Hobart TAS 7001
Phone: 03 6233 6413
Fax: 03 6233 6655
Email: CrownLandServices.Enquiries@dpipwe.tas.gov.au
| 
