What we do
The primary task of the Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) Property Services is to represent the Crown as the owner of property, for the management, use and development of that property. The PWS manages approximately 6000 existing occupations of Crown land and handles approximately 1400 applications for lease, licence or purchase of Crown land at any one time.
The PWS also provide specialist land management advice to Government, and facilitates the private and public use and development of Crown land. This enables State and Local Governments as well as the private sector to make investment decisions.
What is Crown land?
Crown land is public land owned and managed by the Tasmanian Government. It can include public reserves, school and hospital sites, verges of roads, land along river banks and coastal areas, sporting grounds, parks and picnic facilities. The PWS is not responsible for lands administered by other departments, such as school sites, although these are Crown land.
Crown land also includes reserved roads. These are corridors of land kept by the Crown to provide for potential future access to subdivided lots. These Crown land corridors have no status as a public road, unless a reserved road has become a public road managed by State Growth or the local council. Landowners who wish to use reserved roads for access to their properties must submit an application to the PWS.
The PWS manages Crown land reserved under the Nature Conservation Act 2002. Most land management functions undertaken by PWS are governed by the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 and the National Parks and Reserved Land Regulations 2019.
The PWS manages the remainder of Crown land in accordance with the Crown Lands Act 1976. In a broad sense, the Crown Lands Act 1976 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 PWS also manages land designated as Future Potential Production Forest (FPPFL) land, which is managed in accordance with the Crown Lands Act 1976. Crown land which has been reserved as public reserves are also regulated by the Crown Lands Regulations 2021.
All Crown land application fees are set under the Fee Unit Act 1997 :
| Fee from 1 July 2024 under the Crown Lands Act 1976 |
Lease application fee | $1,234.20 (GST exempt) |
Lease renewal application fee | $299.20 (GST exempt)
|
Lease Transfer fee where consideration is $60,000 or less | $112.20 (GST exempt) |
Lease Transfer fee where consideration is greater than $60,000 | $224.40 (GST exempt) |
Licence application fee - access only | $308.55 (GST exempt) |
Licence application fee - general purpose | $766.70 (GST exempt) |
Licence renewal application fee | $299.20 (GST exempt) |
Licence Transfer fee where consideration is $60,000 or less | $112.20 (GST exempt) |
Licence Transfer fee where consideration is greater than $60,000 | $224.40 (GST exempt)
|
Purchase application fee (reserved road or minor Crown land adhesion) | $607.75 (GST exempt)
|
Purchase application fee (any other Crown land) | $925.65 (GST exempt) |
Contract for Sale transfer fee where consideration is $60,000 or less | $112.20 (GST exempt) |
Contract for Sale tee where consideration is greater than $60,000
| $224.40 (GST exempt) |
Business licence application fee under section 45B of Crown Lands Act 1976
| $196.35 (GST exempt)
|
Business licence renewal application fee under section 45G of Crown Lands Act 1976 | $130.90 (GST exempt) |
Business licence transfer application fee under section 45H of Crown Lands Act 1976 | $196.35 (GST exempt)
|
What can I do on Crown land?
- Run events such as regattas and carnivals (see Works, development and events);
- Lease community halls, marinas and sporting facilities (see Leases and licensing);
- Access your property via a reserved road (see Leases and licensing);
- You can camp on many Crown land reserves, the campsites are generally marked with signage on site;
- Run livestock and keep bees (see Leases and licensing);
- With a current permit, hunting and shooting is permitted on some Crown land. Find out more about game hunting requirements at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania website;
- You can apply to harvest special species timber on land managed by Parks and Wildlife Service. A guidesheet is available to help with your application. Permanent timber production zone land is managed by Sustainable Timber Tasmania, and more information is available at their website.
Special Species Timber Harvesting Guidesheet (224Kb)
What can’t I do on Crown land?
- Use Crown land for the sale of motor vehicles, firewood or other goods;
- Place a sign on Crown land or roadsides without prior approval (see Works, development and events);
- Ask the Crown to contribute to the costs of a boundary fence.
- Cut down or damage vegetation without a permit.