Guidelines For Rural Beekeeping In Queensland

Department of Natural Resources and Mines requirements
Department of Natural Resources and Mines (NR&M) administers the majority of State-owned land
on which it may be desirable to locate apiary sites.
The areas under their jurisdiction include:
• Reserves (excluding State Forest Reserves and Protected Areas)
• Roads (Local/State Government Roads and Stock Routes)
• Unallocated State Land.
NOTE: For areas leased from the State, private negotiations and arrangements with the lessee may
be made at the lessee’s discretion, as long as the proposed use will not be inconsistent with the
purpose and conditions of the head lease. The arrangement can be as formal as a written sublease,
and requires the consent of the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines. The lease must be
registered in the Land Registry. The lessee is also entitled to charge rent for the area identified under
the sublease. The term of any agreement or sublease must not extend past the expiry date of the
head lease.
Authorised access to the above-mentioned State-owned land can be obtained by submitting an
application (Land Act Application Form 104) to the NR&M district office in the locality of the
desired site. The application also needs to be accompanied by a sketch or map depicting the land
area to be affected by the application.
Important Note: Siting an apiary on any of the above-mentioned State-owned land without
authorisation may be dealt with as a trespass related act and be subject to payment of a penalty.
NR&M application requirements
When making an application to NR&M for access to the above-mentioned State-owned land,
beekeepers may apply for either a Short Term Permit or a Permit to Occupy.
Short Term Permit
An application fee of $87.80 applies — a Short Term Permit may be issued to a person or organisation
wishing to use an area of Unallocated State land, reserve (that is not already subject to an existing
lease) or road (including Stock Routes) for a short period of time only (up to a maximum of three
months). The occupation of the authorised land does not give the holder exclusive possession of the
land, i.e. the use of the land must co-exist with the purpose for which the land has been set aside.
Therefore, the Short Term Permit may not be sold, subleased or mortgaged.
Permit to occupy
An application fee of $87.80 applies plus other fees as mentioned below — Permits to Occupy are
issued by the State to a permittee on a continuing basis, for a right to occupy or use State-controlled
land, including unallocated State land, roads (including Stock Routes) or reserves, so long as the
annual rent is paid. However, the permit may be cancelled at any time by the Director-General,
NR&M upon giving reasonable notice to the permittee (at least 28 days). This would normally only
occur if the land is required for some changed purpose. As with a Short Term Permit, a Permit to
Occupy does not give the holder exclusive possession of the land, i.e. must be able to co-exist with
the purpose for which the land has been set aside. Therefore, a Permit to Occupy may not be sold,
subleased or mortgaged. If an application for a Permit to Occupy is approved, payment of a $44.25
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