Apply for a Grazing licence

To graze livestock on Crown land, you will need a grazing licence.

Licences are issued to individuals, businesses, and community organisations to graze livestock on suitable land. They may be granted when the land identified is:

not under an existing lease or licence
under an existing lease and consent from the registered lessee has been obtained
reserved and consent from the Crown Land Manager (CLM) has been obtained (if one has been appointed

There may be 2 sets of conditions in a grazing licence:

standard terms and conditions apply to all grazing licences.
additional special conditions may be included depending on the specific licence site conditions and environmental conditions.

Both sets of conditions aim to promote improved, responsible, best-practice grazing management on Crown land.

Check your eligibility

the land must be Crown land
anyone aged 18 years or older
want to graze stock on Crown land

How your application will be assessed

Factors that will be taken into consideration when assessing an application are:

the proposed use of Crown land (e.g. particulars of proposed use such as grazing, any existing and proposed structures required to supplement use, if used in conjunction with adjoining land or as a ‘stand-alone’ parcel of land and any other information relation to the use of Crown land
the type of stock and the stocking rate intended to put on the land
immediate land management issues that are a priority
whether the parcel of land has a creek/river (or any other ‘waterbody’), and whether it is fenced off to exclude stock access
the applicants’ experience in land management and their ability to ensure ongoing appropriate management of the land
the proposed drought management strategy (strategy to maintain acceptable groundcover during drought conditions, e.g. de-stocking, restricted grazing, sale, agistment, supplementary feeding)
a proposed bushfire hazard reduction plan (under the Rural Fires Act 1997, landholders are required to take the necessary steps to prevent the occurrence and spread of bushfires)
the current fencing condition and the intended maintenance/replacement program (boundary fences are to contain stock and any maintenance/replacement requires negotiation with adjoining landholders).

What you need to apply

Check the ePlanning Spatial Viewer to confirm the land is Crown land, its lot/dp and zoning.

Using the menu options in the search field select address or lot/dp – enter the relevant information.

The zoning will appear on the lot or select ‘Land Zoning Map’ from the menu on the right side of the screen for more information.

You must check:

Lot/ Section/ DP numbers on the application are correct
The Local Environment Plan (LEP) allows grazing. Applications will be rejected where the LEP does not allow grazing.
The form is signed by all proposed licence holders (the licence should be in the same name as shown on the certificate of title for the associated title or additional rates under the local environmental plan.)

You will need to provide:

a site diagram including location, boundary fencing and any existing structures including pipelines and pump sites.

Companies or incorporated associations must be a registered company with ACN. Sole traders or partnerships must apply under their individual names as required.

You will also need to provide:

a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation (from NSW Fair Trading) and minutes showing elected office bearers
a recent company search (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) which lists company officeholders (directors and secretaries) and authorised signatories

Payment methods

An invoice for the application fee of $576.00 will be sent to you when the application starts to be processed.

Most licences are also subject to payment of an annual rent, which is determined from the current market value. You will be notified of the annual rent payable after the licence application has been assessed.

If you are applying for an expression of interest grazing licence, no application fee is required unless you are the successful applicant.

Grazing licences are subject to payment of an annual rent, which is determined from the current market value. You will be notified of the annual rent payable after the licence application has been assessed.