{"id":"sl-2023-28","name":"Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices) Regulation 2023","slug":"magistrates-court-urban-forest-infringement-notices-regulation-2023","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"act","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"28 of 2023","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":173526,"registerId":"act-sl-2023-28-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices) Regulation 2023","content":"Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nAustralian Capital Territory\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest\nInfringement Notices) Regulation 2023\nSL2023-28\nmade under the\nMagistrates Court Act 1930\nRepublication No 1\nEffective: 1 January 2024\nRepublication date: 1 January 2024\nRegulation not amended\n\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nAbout this republication\nThe republished law\nThis is a republication of the Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices) Regulation\n2023, made under the Magistrates Court Act 1930 (including any amendment made under the\nLegislation Act 2001, part 11.3 (Editorial changes)) as in force on 1 January 2024. It also includes\nany commencement, repeal or expiry affecting this republished law.\nThe legislation history and amendment history of the republished law are set out in endnotes 3\nand 4.\nKinds of republications\nThe Parliamentary Counsel’s Office prepares 2 kinds of republications of ACT laws (see the ACT\nlegislation register at www.legislation.act.gov.au):\n• authorised republications to which the Legislation Act 2001 applies\n• unauthorised republications.\nThe status of this republication appears on the bottom of each page.\nEditorial amendments\nThe Legislation Act 2001, part 11.3 authorises the Parliamentary Counsel to make editorial\namendments and other changes of a formal nature when preparing a law for republication.\nEditorial changes do not change the effect of the law, but have effect as if they had been made by\nan Act commencing on the republication date (see Legislation Act 2001, s 115 and s 117). The\nchanges are made if the Parliamentary Counsel considers they are desirable to bring the law into\nline, or more closely into line, with current legislative drafting practice.\nThis republication does not include amendments made under part 11.3 (see endnote 1).\nUncommenced provisions and amendments\nIf a provision of the republished law has not commenced, the symbol U appears immediately\nbefore the provision heading. Any uncommenced amendments that affect this republished law\nare accessible on the ACT legislation register (www.legislation.act.gov.au). For more\ninformation, see the home page for this law on the register.\nModifications\nIf a provision of the republished law is affected by a current modification, the\nsymbol M appears immediately before the provision heading. The text of the modifying\nprovision appears in the endnotes. For the legal status of modifications, see the Legislation\nAct 2001, section 95.\nPenalties\nAt the republication date, the value of a penalty unit for an offence against this law is $160 for an\nindividual and $810 for a corporation (see Legislation Act 2001, s 133).\n\nR1\n01/01/24\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\ncontents 1\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nAustralian Capital Territory\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest\nInfringement Notices) Regulation 2023\nmade under the\nMagistrates Court Act 1930\nContents\nPage\n1 Name of regulation 2\n3 Dictionary 2\n4 Notes 2\n5 Purpose of regulation 2\n6 Administering authority 3\n7 Infringement notice offences 3\n8 Infringement notice penalties 3\n9 Contents of infringement notices—identifying authorised person 3\n10 Contents of infringement notices—other information 4\n11 Contents of reminder notices—identifying authorised person 4\n\nContents\nPage\ncontents 2 Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\nR1\n01/01/24\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n12 Authorised people for infringement notice offences 4\nSchedule 1 Urban Forest Act 2023 infringement notice\noffences and penalties 5\nDictionary 6\nEndnotes\n1 About the endnotes 7\n2 Abbreviation key 7\n3 Legislation history 8\n4 Amendment history 9\n\nR1\n01/01/24\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\npage 1\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nAustralian Capital Territory\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest\nInfringement Notices) Regulation 2023\nmade under the\nMagistrates Court Act 1930\n\nSection 1\npage 2 Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\nR1\n01/01/24\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n1 Name of regulation\nThis regulation is the Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement\nNotices) Regulation 2023.\n3 Dictionary\nThe dictionary at the end of this regulation is part of this regulation.\nNote 1 The dictionary at the end of this regulation defines certain terms used in\nthis regulation, and includes references (signpost definitions) to other\nterms defined elsewhere.\nFor example, the signpost definition ‘authorised person—see the Urban\nForest Act 2023, dictionary.’ means that the term ‘authorised person’ is\ndefined in that dictionary and the definition applies to this regulation.\nNote 2 A definition in the dictionary applies to the entire regulation unless the\ndefinition, or another provision of the regulation, provides otherwise or\nthe contrary intention otherwise appears (see Legislation Act, s 155 and\ns 156 (1)).\n4 Notes\nA note included in this regulation is explanatory and is not part of this\nregulation.\n5 Purpose of regulation\nThe purpose of this regulation is to provide for infringement notices\nunder the Magistrates Court Act 1930, part 3.8 for certain offences\nagainst the Urban Forest Act 2023.\nNote The Magistrates Court Act 1930, pt 3.8 provides a system of infringement\nnotices for offences under various territory laws. The infringement notice\nsystem is intended to provide an alternative to prosecution.\n\nSection 6\nR1\n01/01/24\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\npage 3\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n6 Administering authority\nThe administering authority for an infringement notice offence\nagainst the Urban Forest Act 2023 is the director-general for that Act.\n7 Infringement notice offences\nThe Magistrates Court Act 1930, part 3.8 applies to an offence against\na provision of the Urban Forest Act 2023 mentioned in schedule 1,\ncolumn 2.\n8 Infringement notice penalties\n(1) The penalty payable by an individual for an offence under the Urban\nForest Act 2023, under an infringement notice for the offence, is the\namount mentioned in schedule 1, column 4 for the offence.\n(2) The penalty payable by a corporation for an offence against the Urban\nForest Act 2023, under an infringement notice for the offence, is\n5 times the amount mentioned in schedule 1, column 4 for the\noffence.\n(3) The cost of serving a reminder notice for an infringement notice\nagainst the Urban Forest Act 2023 is $34.\n9 Contents of infringement notices—identifying authorised\nperson\nAn infringement notice served on a person by an authorised person\nfor an infringement notice offence against the Urban Forest Act 2023\nmust identify the authorised person by—\n(a) the authorised person’s full name, or surname and initials; or\n(b) any unique number given, for this regulation, to the authorised\nperson by the administering authority.\n\nSection 10\npage 4 Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\nR1\n01/01/24\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n10 Contents of infringement notices—other information\n(1) An infringement notice served on a company by an authorised person\nfor an infringement notice offence against the Urban Forest Act 2023\nmust include the company’s ACN.\nNote The requirement under this section is additional to the requirement under\nthe Magistrates Court Act 1930, s 121 (1) (c).\n(2) In this section:\ncompany means a company registered under the Corporations Act.\n11 Contents of reminder notices—identifying authorised\nperson\nA reminder notice served on a person by an authorised person for an\ninfringement notice under the Urban Forest Act 2023 must identify\nthe authorised person by—\n(a) the person’s full name, or surname and initials; or\n(b) any unique number given, for this regulation, to the person by\nthe administering authority.\n12 Authorised people for infringement notice offences\nAn authorised person may serve the following:\n(a) an infringement notice for an infringement notice offence\nagainst the Urban Forest Act 2023;\n(b) a reminder notice for an infringement notice offence against that\nAct.\n\nUrban Forest Act 2023 infringement notice offences and penalties Schedule 1\nR1\n01/01/24\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\npage 5\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nSchedule 1 Urban Forest Act 2023\ninfringement notice offences\nand penalties\n(see s 7 and s 8)\ncolumn 1\nitem\ncolumn 2\noffence provision\ncolumn 3\noffence penalty\n(penalty units)\ncolumn 4\ninfringement penalty\n($)\n1 16 (5)—\n1.1 • if registered tree or\nremnant tree\n50 1 600\n1.2 • if public tree or\nregulated tree\n50 1 200\n2 17 (4)—\n2.1 • if registered tree or\nremnant tree\n50 1 600\n2.2 • if public tree or\nregulated tree\n50 1 200\n3 33 (1) 50 1 600\n4 49 (1) 50 1 600\n5 90 (1) 50 1 600\n6 109 (2) 50 1 600\n7 118 (5) 20 640\n8 120 (1) 5 160\n\nDictionary\npage 6 Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\nR1\n01/01/24\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nDictionary\n(see s 3)\nNote 1 The Legislation Act contains definitions relevant to this regulation.\nFor example:\n• corporation\n• Corporations Act\n• director-general (see s 163)\n• individual.\nNote 2 Terms used in this regulation have the same meaning that they have in\nthe Magistrates Court Act 1930. For example, the following terms are\ndefined in the Act, dict:\n• administering authority\n• infringement notice\n• infringement notice offence\n• reminder notice.\nauthorised person—see the Urban Forest Act 2023, dictionary.\n\nEndnotes\nAbout the endnotes 1\nR1\n01/01/24\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\npage 7\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nEndnotes\n1 About the endnotes\nAmending and modifying laws are annotated in the legislation history and the\namendment history. Current modifications are not included in the republished law\nbut are set out in the endnotes.\nNot all editorial amendments made under the Legislation Act 2001, part 11.3 are\nannotated in the amendment history. Full details of any amendments can be\nobtained from the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office.\nUncommenced amending laws are not included in the republished law. The details\nof these laws are underlined in the legislation history. Uncommenced expiries are\nunderlined in the legislation history and amendment history.\nIf all the provisions of the law have been renumbered, a table of renumbered\nprovisions gives details of previous and current numbering.\nThe endnotes also include a table of earlier republications.\n2 Abbreviation key\nA = Act NI = Notifiable instrument\nAF = Approved form o = order\nam = amended om = omitted/repealed\namdt = amendment ord = ordinance\nAR = Assembly resolution orig = original\nch = chapter par = paragraph/subparagraph\nCN = Commencement notice pres = present\ndef = definition prev = previous\nDI = Disallowable instrument (prev...) = previously\ndict = dictionary pt = part\ndisallowed = disallowed by the Legislative r = rule/subrule\nAssembly reloc = relocated\ndiv = division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired R[X] = Republication No\nGaz = gazette RI = reissue\nhdg = heading s = section/subsection\nIA = Interpretation Act 1967 sch = schedule\nins = inserted/added sdiv = subdivision\nLA = Legislation Act 2001 SL = Subordinate law\nLR = legislation register sub = substituted\nLRA = Legislation (Republication) Act 1996 underlining = whole or part not commenced\nmod = modified/modification or to be expired\n\nEndnotes\n3 Legislation history\npage 8 Magistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\nR1\n01/01/24\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n3 Legislation history\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices) Regulation\n2023 SL2023-28\nnotified LR 23 November 2023\ns 1, s 2 commenced 23 November 2023 (LA s 75 (1))\nremainder commenced 1 January 2024 (s 2 and see the Urban Forest\nAct 2023 A2023-14 s 2)\n\nEndnotes\nAmendment history 4\nR1\n01/01/24\nMagistrates Court (Urban Forest Infringement Notices)\nRegulation 2023\nEffective: 01/01/24\npage 9\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n4 Amendment history\nCommencement\ns 2 om LA s 89 (4)\n© Australian Capital Territory 2024","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: establishing infringement notice procedures for Urban Forest Act offences. It has not expanded beyond this administrative function."},"complexity_factors":["Very short regulation (only 12 sections plus a schedule)","Minimal defined terms (only 2 explicit definitions in the dictionary: 'authorised person' by reference, and 'company' in section 10)","Simple structure: purpose, administering authority, offences, penalties, notice contents, and authorised persons","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic","Cross-references are straightforward (primarily to the Urban Forest Act 2023 and Magistrates Court Act 1930)","Schedule 1 is a simple table mapping offence provisions to penalty amounts with only two variables (tree type for some offences)"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation establishes an infringement-notice scheme under the ACT Urban Forest Act 2023, letting authorised officers issue on-the-spot fines for certain tree-related offences (avoiding court). It specifies required notice details and monetary penalties (e.g. higher amounts for serious breaches, corporations pay five times; $34 reminder fee).\n\nIt affects anyone who damages or removes protected trees (homeowners, developers, contractors), authorised officers, and the administering Director‑General — speeding enforcement and encouraging compliance."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulation implements the intended infringement‑notice mechanism for specified Urban Forest Act offences: it specifies which offences attract infringement notices, the penalty amounts, administrative responsibility, and notice contents (ss 5–8; Sch 1, ss 9–12). It does not broaden or narrow the substantive offences themselves beyond listing them for the infringement scheme."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-references to other Acts and external definitions (Magistrates Court Act 1930, Urban Forest Act 2023, Corporations Act) (ss 3,5,7; dict).","Differentiated penalty structure by offence type, tree category, and person type (individual v corporation—Sch 1; s 8(2)).","Procedural requirements for notices (identifying authorised person, including ACN for companies) that create compliance checks for authorised officers and recipients (ss 9–11; s 10(1)).","Administrative role concentrated in the director-general for the Urban Forest Act (s 6) and potential need for unique authorised‑person numbers issued by that authority (ss 9,11).","Small number of prescribed offences and fixed monetary amounts reduce legal ambiguity but require coordination with enforcement practice (Sch 1; ss 7–8).","Dependence on external definitions (authorised person, administering authority, reminder/infringement notice) means interpretation relies on multiple instruments (dict; Magistrates Court Act definitions)."],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation sets up an infringement‑notice regime for specified offences in the Urban Forest Act 2023: it names the director‑general as the administering authority, fixes infringement amounts (and a $34 reminder cost), and makes corporate fines five times individual amounts (ss 5–8).  \n\nIt also specifies required notice content (authorised person ID; company ACN), who may serve infringement and reminder notices, and lists the particular offences and fixed penalty amounts in Schedule 1 (ss 9–12; Sch 1)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/magistrates-court-urban-forest-infringement-notices-regulation-2023","history":"/api/acts/magistrates-court-urban-forest-infringement-notices-regulation-2023/history","analysis":"/api/acts/magistrates-court-urban-forest-infringement-notices-regulation-2023/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/magistrates-court-urban-forest-infringement-notices-regulation-2023/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/magistrates-court-urban-forest-infringement-notices-regulation-2023/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/magistrates-court-urban-forest-infringement-notices-regulation-2023/documents"}}