Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw 2013

What the Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw does

This bylaw contains rules about:

Bad behaviours in any public place

• Wilfully obstructing, disturbing or harming any other person in a public place.
• Using any item or object recklessly or in a way that could be dangerous, cause injury or nuisance to any person in a public place.
• Placing or leaving any object material or structure in a public place that is likely to cause a safety risk, nuisance or interference to any person in a public place.

Use of public places under control of the council

A person must comply with any restrictions on the use of public places under control of the council (for example at parks, beaches and public squares) relating to:

• aircraft
• boats
• building or construction materials, equipment and amenities
• building, structures and tents
• consumer goods
• fences
• fires
• fireworks, flares of explosive materials
• gates or doors
• shipping or storage containers
• soil, rock, shingle, shell, sand, vegetation, material, object or other naturally occurring thing
• UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), including drones
• vegetation
• weapons, traps or instruments of a dangerous nature
• recreational fishing, including set netting
• surfcasting.

Restricting access to a public place under control of the council

The council may restrict or close entry to the whole (or part) of any council-controlled public places to:

• protect flora, fauna, land, structures and infrastructure from damage
• protect public health and safety
• allow for maintenance
• allow exclusive use for any group or specified activity.

What the Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw does not cover

• Activities and behaviours in public places that are part of the Auckland transport system. This is regulated by the Auckland Transport Activities in the Road Corridor Bylaw 2022.
• This bylaw does not apply to any matter addressed in any other bylaw made by the council, or any bylaw made by Auckland Transport or the Maunga Authority.
• Activities regulated by central government legislation including car window washing, mind-altering (psychoactive) substances, graffiti, noise, fish offal, gates in parks, fireworks in non-public places and street names and property numbering.
• Issues about animals, signage, stormwater and traffic which are contained in other existing bylaws dedicated to those topics.

Get a copy of the bylaw