{"id":"street-alignment-act-1844","name":"Street Alignment Act 1844","slug":"street-alignment-act-1844","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":110426,"registerId":"wa-street-alignment-act-1844-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Street Alignment Act 1844","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nStreet Alignment Act 1844\n\nWestern Australia\n\nStreet Alignment Act 1844\n\nContents\n\n1. Surveys of towns, Governor’s powers as to; original surveys, rectifying deviations from 1\n\n3. Authorised land officer may enter allotments etc. 2\n\n5. Structures in the way of boundary posts may be marked instead 2\n\n6. Boundary posts, ownership and effect of 3\n\n7. Survey to be given to Governor etc. 3\n\n8. Streets may be aligned in accordance with survey 3\n\n9. Nothing to be fastened to boundary posts 4\n\n11. Boundary posts etc. to be inspected annually etc. 4\n\n12. Plans of new allotments etc. to be given to Governor etc. 5\n\n13. Limitation of actions etc. 5\n\n14. Limitation of prosecutions 6\n\n15. Offences to be dealt with summarily 6\n\n17. Term used: authorised land officer 7\n\n18. Short title 7\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 8\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nStreet Alignment Act 1844\n\nAn Act to provide for the alignment of streets in the several towns in the Colony of Western Australia.\n\nPreamble\n\nWhereas by the first section of an Act of Council passed in the fourth and fifth year of the reign of Her present Majesty Queen Victoria, intituled “An Act to provide for the improvement of Towns in the Colony of Western Australia,” 2 the right of property in all streets, paths, canals, towing‑paths, ferries, bridges and other thoroughfares within the limits of any townsite is vested in the respective trustees of each such town; and whereas in several instances a difficulty has been experienced in recognising the exact lines of the streets, because many of the surveyors’ marks by which such lines were originally defined have been either removed, destroyed or obliterated in the course of time; and whereas it is highly expedient to ascertain the precise limits of the streets so vested in each Town Trust respectively and to define the same by conspicuous and permanent marks, so as to enable the said Trustees to preserve the regularity of the streets and to prevent any encroachment thereon:\n\n##### 1. Surveys of towns, Governor’s powers as to; original surveys, rectifying deviations from\n\nBe it therefore enacted by His Excellency the Governor of Western Australia, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, that immediately after the passing of this Act it shall be lawful for the Governor to direct an authorised land officer at his earliest convenience to cause a survey to be made of every town laid out by the Government of this Colony as nearly as possible in accordance with the survey originally made of such town, except in any case where a deviation therefrom may have been previously directed and sanctioned by any Governor of this Colony, or may during the progress of such survey be found necessary for the rectification of any street so as not to interfere with any substantial brick or stone building already erected, and which deviation may be sanctioned by the Governor in Executive Council, in which case the survey is to be made in accordance with such sanctioned alteration, which the Governor is hereby authorised to make: Provided nevertheless that no such alteration shall be so made as to lessen the quantity of land contained in any allotment granted in fee‑simple by the Crown without compensation being given for the portion so taken away.\n\n[Section 1 amended: No. 126 of 1987 s. 11.]\n\n[**2.** Deleted: No. 8 of 1924 s. 8.]\n\n##### 3. Authorised land officer may enter allotments etc.\n\nAnd be it enacted that it shall be lawful for an authorised land officer or any person or persons assisting him from time to time, to enter upon any allotment for the purposes of this Act, and to erect such post or posts or construct such other mark or marks, as may be deemed necessary, and for that purpose to dig holes or to remove such parts of fences, walls or other erections as may be in the way, and any person who shall wilfully obstruct or hinder him or them in the execution of such duty shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding $20.\n\n[Section 3 amended: No. 113 of 1965 s. 8(1); No. 126 of 1987 s. 12.]\n\n[**4.** Deleted: No. 8 of 1924 s. 8.]\n\n##### 5. Structures in the way of boundary posts may be marked instead\n\nProvided always and be it enacted that if it shall so happen that any house, wall or other substantial erection shall be found to be correctly placed at the corner of any block of allotments so that it is impracticable to erect in that position one of such posts as aforesaid, then in that case it shall be sufficient to mark or otherwise affix the said letters in such permanent manner as may be deemed advisable in their proper places in the manner aforesaid upon such house, wall or other substantial erection.\n\n##### 6. Boundary posts, ownership and effect of\n\nAnd be it enacted that the said boundary posts and marks so placed as aforesaid, shall be deemed and taken to be the property of the Town Trust, and shall indicate and define the position, direction and breadth of the several streets and lines of communication vested in the Trustees of each town respectively.\n\n##### 7. Survey to be given to Governor etc.\n\nAnd be it enacted that whensoever and so soon as the several streets and lines of communication within any townsite shall have been ascertained and marked as aforesaid, the chief executive officer of the Department within the meaning of the *Land Administration Act 1997* shall report the same and lay before the Governor in Executive Council a map or plan of such town in duplicate, having the streets and lines of communication delineated accordingly thereon, both of which plans shall be signed by the Governor in Executive Council, and one shall be retained in that Department or some other convenient place and the other shall be delivered to the Chairman or Acting‑Chairman of the Town Trust, either of which plans so signed by the Governor or any copy thereof duly certified by the chief executive officer of that Department, shall and may be given in evidence of such streets or lines of communication in any cause or suit regarding the same.\n\n[Section 7 amended: No. 126 of 1987 s. 13; No. 31 of 1997 s. 141; No. 28 of 2006 s. 452(2).]\n\n##### 8. Streets may be aligned in accordance with survey\n\nAnd be it enacted that immediately after such plan shall have been delivered to the Chairman or Acting‑Chairman of the Town Trust aforesaid, it shall be lawful for such Chairman or Acting‑Chairman, and he is hereby authorised and required, to proceed forthwith to adjust and regulate the lines of streets between the posts or marks as aforesaid according to such plan, and for that purpose to remove any material or erection whatsoever which may project into the lines of streets so defined as aforesaid, and to place the same upon the immediately adjacent land, and any person who shall wilfully obstruct or hinder him or any one employed by him in the execution of such duty, shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding $20.\n\n[Section 8 amended: No. 113 of 1965 s. 8(1).]\n\n##### 9. Nothing to be fastened to boundary posts\n\nAnd be it enacted that it shall not be lawful to mortice into or nail or fasten in any other way to the said boundary posts or marks so placed as aforesaid, any rail, post, paling or other material whatsoever, and any person who is summarily convicted of having done so, or of having wilfully injured, defaced or disturbed any such boundary post or mark as aforesaid, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $40.\n\n[Section 9 amended: No. 113 of 1965 s. 8(1); No. 59 of 2004 s. 141.]\n\n[**10.** Deleted: No. 70 of 2004 s. 82.]\n\n##### 11. Boundary posts etc. to be inspected annually etc.\n\nAnd be it enacted that the Chairman or Acting‑Chairman of the Town Trust shall in the month of December of each year examine and inspect the said posts and marks, and make a written report of their state and condition to the Governor, and if it shall appear from the said report, or if at any time it shall be discovered in any other manner that any of the said posts or marks require to be renewed, repaired or adjusted, it shall be lawful for the Governor to direct the same to be renewed, repaired or adjusted, in the same way as they were originally made, but at the cost and expense of the said Town Trust.\n\n##### 12. Plans of new allotments etc. to be given to Governor etc.\n\nAnd be it enacted that when and so often as any fresh blocks of allotments are required to be laid out, by which any new lines of communication shall be formed, an authorised land officer shall lay before the Governor in Executive Council duplicate maps or plans of the same, both of which plans shall be signed by the Governor in Council, and one shall be retained in the Department within the meaning of the *Land Administration Act 1997*, or some other convenient place, and the other shall be delivered to the Chairman or Acting‑Chairman of the Town Trust, either of which plans, so signed by the Governor, or any copy thereof duly certified by an authorised land officer, shall and may be given in evidence of such streets in any cause or suit regarding the same, and such additional lines of communication and blocks of allotments may be added to or delineated upon the original maps or plans, and the additional part authenticated in the same manner as the original maps or plans by the signature of the Governor in Council, and such part so authenticated may also be given in evidence as aforesaid.\n\n[Section 12 amended: No. 126 of 1987 s. 14; No. 31 of 1997 s. 141.]\n\n##### 13. Limitation of actions etc.\n\nAnd be it enacted that no action, suit, or proceedings shall be commenced or prosecuted against any person or persons for anything done in pursuance of this Act until 30 days’ notice thereof shall be given to such person or persons, nor after sufficient satisfaction or tender of amends hath been made to the part or parties aggrieved, nor after the expiration of 6 calendar months next after the fact committed; and the defendant or defendants in every such action, suit, or prosecution, shall and may, at his or their election, plead specially, or the general issue, and give this Act and the special matter in evidence at any trial to be had thereupon, and that the same was done in pursuance and by the authority of this Act; and if it shall appear that the matter on which the cause of action arose was done in pursuance and by authority of this Act, or that such action or suit shall have been brought before 30 days’ notice thereof was given as aforesaid, or after a sufficient satisfaction made or tendered as aforesaid, or after the time limited for bringing the same as aforesaid, then the Court or Jury shall find for the defendant or defendants; and upon such verdict or finding, or if the plaintiff or plaintiffs shall be nonsuited, or shall discontinue his, her, or their action, suit, or prosecution, after the defendant or defendants shall have appeared, or if upon demurrer judgment shall be given against the plaintiff or plaintiffs, defendant or defendants shall recover double costs, and have such remedy for the same as any defendant or defendants hath or have in other cases of costs given by law, and though a verdict shall be given for the plaintiff in any such action, such plaintiff shall not have costs against the defendant unless the Judge before whom the trial shall be shall certify his approbation of the action and of the verdict obtained thereon.\n\n[Section 13 amended: No. 35 of 1935 s. 48A(2)3.]\n\n##### 14. Limitation of prosecutions\n\nAnd be it enacted that all prosecutions for the recovery of any of the forfeitures and penalties imposed by this Act must be commenced within one calendar month after the offence committed for which such penalty or forfeiture shall be incurred.\n\n##### 15. Offences to be dealt with summarily\n\n(1) Proceedings for an offence against this Act shall be dealt with summarily in a court of summary jurisdiction.\n\n(2) Any penalty or forfeiture imposed under this Act shall be paid to the Town Trust of the town in which the offence was committed.\n\n[Section 15 inserted: No. 78 of 1995 s. 125.]\n\n[**16.** Deleted: No. 59 of 2004 s. 141.]\n\n##### 17. Term used: authorised land officer\n\nIn this Act —\n\n  authorised land officer has the meaning given by the *Land Administration Act 1997*.\n\n[Section 17 inserted: No. 126 of 1987 s. 15; amended: No. 31 of 1997 s. 141.]\n\n##### 18. Short title\n\nThis Act may be cited as the *Street Alignment Act 1844* 1.\n\n[Section 18 inserted: No. 10 of 1970 s. 3.]\n\n![dline]()\n\nNotes\n\n1 This is a compilation of the *Street Alignment Act 1844* and includes the amendments made by the other written laws referred to in the following table. The table also contains information about any reprint.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Short title** | **Number and year** | **Assent** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Untitled 4 | 1844   (8 Vict. No. 8) | 22 Aug 1844 | 22 Aug 1844 |\n| *Standard Survey Marks Act 1924* s. 8 | 8 of 1924 (15 Geo. V No. 8) | 25 Nov 1924 | 25 Nov 1924 |\n| *Limitation Act 1935* s. 48A(2) | 35 of 1935 (26 Geo. V No. 35) (as amended by No. 73 of 1954 s. 5) | 14 Jan 1955 | Relevant amendments    (see s. 48A 3) took effect on 1 Mar 1955 (see No. 73 of 1954 s. 2 and *Gazette* 18 Feb 1955 p. 343) |\n| *Decimal Currency Act 1965* | 113 of 1965 | 21 Dec 1965 | Act other than s. 4‑9: 21 Dec 1965 (see s. 2(1));   s. 4‑9: 14 Feb 1966 (see s. 2(2)) |\n| *Statute Law Revision Act 1970* s. 3 | 10 of 1970 | 29 Apr 1970 | 29 Apr 1970 |\n| *Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1987* Pt. III | 126 of 1987 | 31 Dec 1987 | 16 Sep 1988 (see s. 2 and *Gazette* 16 Sep 1988 p. 3637) |\n| *Criminal Law Amendment Act (No. 2) 1992* s. 16(1) | 51 of 1992 | 9 Dec 1992 | 6 Jan 1993 |\n| *Sentencing (Consequential Provisions) Act 1995* Pt. 75 | 78 of 1995 | 16 Jan 1996 | 4 Nov 1996 (see s. 2 and *Gazette* 25 Oct 1996 p. 5632) |\n| *Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1997* s. 141 | 31 of 1997 | 3 Oct 1997 | 30 Mar 1998 (see s. 2 and *Gazette* 27 Mar 1998 p. 1765) |\n| **Reprint of the *Street Alignment Act 1844* as at 21 Dec 2001** (includes amendments listed above) | | | |\n| *Courts Legislation Amendment and Repeal Act 2004* s. 141 | 59 of 2004 | 23 Nov 2004 | 1 May 2005 (see s. 2 and *Gazette* 31 Dec 2004 p. 7128) |\n| *Criminal Law Amendment (Simple Offences) Act 2004* s. 82 | 70 of 2004 | 8 Dec 2004 | 31 May 2005 (see s. 2 and *Gazette* 14 Jan 2005 p. 163) |\n| *Criminal Procedure and Appeals (Consequential and Other Provisions) Act 2004* s. 78 | 84 of 2004 | 16 Dec 2004 | 2 May 2005 (see s. 2 and *Gazette* 31 Dec 2004 p. 7129 (correction in *Gazette* 7 Jan 2005 p. 53)) |\n| *Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2006* s. 452(2) 5 | 28 of 2006 | 26 Jun 2006 | 1 Jul 2006 (see s. 2 and *Gazette* 27 Jun 2006 p. 2347) |\n| **Reprint 2: The *Street Alignment Act 1844* as at 5 Oct 2012** (includes amendments listed above) | | | |\n\n\n2 4 and 5 Vict. No. 18 (1841) was repealed by 14 Vict. No. 15 (1850).\n\n3 The *Limitation Act 1935* s. 48A(2) reads as follows:\n\n(2) The provisions of any Act which enact that in an action to which section forty‑seven A of this Act applies,\n\n(a) the action is to be commenced within a particular time; or\n\n(b) notice of action is to be given within a particular time or otherwise,\n\nare repealed.\n\n4 Now known as the *Street Alignment Act 1844*; short title inserted (see note under s. 18).\n\n5 The *Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2006* s. 454 provides general transitional provisions concerning references to chief executive officers that are amended or repealed by that Act.\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\nauthorised land officer 17\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"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"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains focused on its original purpose of surveying and marking street boundaries in Western Australian towns. While it has been updated with modern terminology (replacing 'Governor in Council' processes with contemporary departmental references, converting currency to decimal, and updating court procedures), it has not expanded beyond its original scope of street alignment and boundary marking. The amendments are purely mechanical updates to keep the 1844 framework operational under modern administrative structures."},"complexity_factors":["Short statute (18 sections, many deleted)","Only 1 defined term ('authorised land officer')","Minimal cross-referencing (only references to Land Administration Act 1997)","Straightforward conditional logic (simple 'if-then' provisions in sections 1, 5, 11)","Archaic but readable language ('Be it enacted', 'aforesaid') preserved from 1844","Simple penalty structure (fixed monetary amounts, no complex sentencing provisions)","Deleted sections (2, 4, 10, 16) create some gaps but don't affect comprehension"],"plain_english_summary":"This is Western Australia's **Street Alignment Act 1844**, one of Australia's oldest surviving pieces of legislation. It creates a system for marking and maintaining the exact boundaries of streets in towns across the state.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Surveys and marks boundaries**: Authorised land officers can survey towns and place permanent boundary posts (or marks on buildings) to show exactly where streets begin and end.\n- **Protects property rights**: If a survey needs to change where a street runs, the government must compensate anyone who loses land they own outright (fee-simple means complete ownership).\n- **Powers of entry**: Surveyors can enter private property, dig holes, and remove fences or walls that block them from placing boundary markers. Obstructing them carries a fine up to $20.\n- **Maintenance**: Town Trusts (local authorities) must inspect boundary posts annually and report their condition to the Governor. They must pay for repairs.\n- **Evidence in court**: Official survey plans signed by the Governor can be used as proof of where streets are in legal disputes.\n- **Offences and penalties**: It's illegal to damage boundary posts, nail things to them, or obstruct officials adjusting street lines. Fines range up to $40.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Property owners in surveyed towns (especially those near street boundaries)\n- Local councils and Town Trusts (responsible for maintenance)\n- Surveyors and land officers\n- Anyone building or renovating near street boundaries\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis law prevents disputes about where public streets end and private property begins. By creating permanent, inspectable markers, it stops gradual encroachment onto public land and ensures streets remain accessible. Despite being nearly 180 years old, it remains in force with modern updates (like converting pounds to dollars and updating which government department handles the work)."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains focused on its original, narrow purpose: establishing and marking street lines and giving those marks legal effect. Subsequent amendments have modernised terminology and procedure (for example, referencing the Land Administration Act 1997, updating custody of plans, and altering procedural and enforcement provisions), and have adjusted penalties and jurisdictional detail, but they have not materially expanded the substantive scope beyond surveying, marking, evidencing, maintaining and enforcing street alignments as originally intended."},"complexity_factors":["Short, focused statute (18 sections) with limited subject matter (surveying and marking streets).","Only one defined term in the Act itself: ‘authorised land officer’ (s17) — rest cross‑references to other Acts.","Several administrative cross‑references: Land Administration Act 1997 (s17) and departmental custody of plans (s7, s12).","Multiple procedural limitations and time bars (s13, s14) plus criminal/summary enforcement rules (s15) introducing distinct procedural tracks.","A small number of monetary penalties with different maxima and payees ($20 and $40 appear in ss3,8,9) and changed currency terminology through amendment history.","Conditional rules and exceptions: Governor‑sanctioned deviations (s1) and protection for fee‑simple allotments requiring compensation (s1) create nested conditions."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does (short):**\n\n- The Street Alignment Act 1844 requires the government to (re)survey town layouts, mark the official lines of streets with permanent boundary posts or marks, and give legal effect to those markings as the definitive limits of streets vested in the local Town Trust. (See s1, s3, s6, s7.)\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- Town Trusts (local statutory bodies that hold town streets). (Preamble; s6.)\n- The Governor and authorised land officers who carry out surveys and make official plans. (s1, s3, s17.)\n- Private landowners and occupiers whose allotments lie next to town streets: they must allow survey access, may have encroachments removed, and are subject to short time limits for civil claims or penalties for obstructing survey or damaging marks. (s3, s8, s13–s15.)\n\n**How it works (mechanics):**\n\n- Governor’s direction and survey (s1): The Governor may direct an authorised land officer to survey each government‑laid town “as nearly as possible” to the original survey. Deviations may be authorised by the Governor in Executive Council, but an authorised alteration cannot reduce the size of any fee‑simple allotment without compensation. (s1.)\n\n- Entry and marking powers (s3–s6): Authorised land officers and assistants may enter allotments to place posts or other permanent marks; they may remove or dig through fences, walls or other obstructions for that purpose. If a building or wall occupies a corner, the officer may instead affix permanent marks to that structure. The posts/marks are the property of the Town Trust and define the official street lines. (s3, s5, s6.)\n\n- Plans and evidence (s7, s12): After marking, duplicate plans are lodged and signed by the Governor in Executive Council; one is kept by the responsible Department and one is given to the Town Trust chair. Those signed plans, or certified copies, are admissible in court as evidence of the street lines. (s7, s12.)\n\n- Alignment and removal of encroachments (s8): Once the plan is delivered to the Town Trust chair, the chair must proceed to adjust and regulate the street lines between the posts and may remove any material or erection projecting into the defined street, placing it on the immediately adjacent land. Obstruction of this work attracts a monetary penalty. (s8.)\n\n- Protection of posts and inspection (s9, s11): It is unlawful to nail, mortice, or otherwise fasten things to the boundary posts, or wilfully damage them; penalties apply. The Town Trust chair must inspect the posts annually and report to the Governor; the Governor may order repairs, but the Town Trust pays for renewal/repair. (s9, s11.)\n\n- Enforcement, remedies and time limits (s13–s15): Civil proceedings for acts done under the Act require 30 days’ notice and generally must be brought within six months (subject to the Limitation Act’s amendments). Short criminal/summary processes and short prosecution windows apply for statutory penalties (prosecutions within one month). Penalties recovered are payable to the Town Trust. (s13, s14, s15.)\n\n- Modern cross‑references: The Act uses the term “authorised land officer” as defined in the Land Administration Act 1997 and refers administration and plan custody to the relevant Department. (s17; s7, s12.)\n\n**Official stated purpose and an analyst’s test of trade‑offs:**\n\n- Official rationale: The preamble says the Act exists to re‑establish and make permanent the exact lines of town streets where original survey marks have been lost, so Town Trusts can preserve regularity of streets and prevent encroachment.\n\n- Who decides and who pays: The Governor (acting by Executive Council) and authorised land officers decide where and how surveys and deviations occur (s1, s7). Town Trusts pay for repair and renewal of marks if ordered by the Governor (s11). Fines for obstruction or damaging marks are paid to the Town Trust (s3, s8, s9, s15(2)).\n\n- Costs and incentives: The Act centralises decision‑making about street alignment (Governor/land officers) and gives Town Trusts both the right to enforce and the responsibility to maintain marks. That creates concentrated benefits to Town Trusts (they acquire defined street certainty and penalty income) and diffuse compliance costs for landowners who must tolerate access and possible removal of projecting material. The Act limits owners’ ability to contest on the merits quickly by imposing short notice and short limitation periods for civil claims (s13) and brief prosecution windows for statutory penalties (s14).\n\n- Compensation and property effects: The Act protects fee‑simple allotments from having their area reduced by authorised alterations unless compensation is paid (s1). However, the Act authorises removal of materials or erections projecting into defined street lines and re‑placement on adjacent land (s8), which can impose relocation costs or practical loss for private owners without creating a new compensable loss of land area. The posts themselves become Town Trust property and are not private fixtures (s6).\n\n- Implementation and legal risks: The measure depends on accurate re‑surveying and the continuing availability of a departmental process to sign and maintain plans (s7, s12). Mislocation or disagreement about the original survey or a Governor‑sanctioned deviation could produce disputes, but the Act narrows remedies with short procedural thresholds (s13–s15), increasing the importance of careful administrative practice and clear evidence on the signed plans.\n\n**Net operational effect (behavioural changes):**\n\n- Authorised land officers get legal access to private allotments to mark streets (s3).\n- Town Trusts must inspect and maintain marks annually and act to align streets when plans are delivered (s8, s11).\n- Private owners must avoid obstructing surveys or tampering with marks, and may have projecting structures or materials removed from street lines (s3, s8, s9).\n\n**Key sections to read for obligations and powers:** s1 (surveys and Governor’s power), s3 (entry and marking), s6 (ownership of posts), s7 (plans and evidence), s8 (alignment and removal of encroachments), s9 (protection of posts), s11 (annual inspection and costs), s13–s15 (procedural limits and enforcement)."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not available for review. The page returned was a broken link error from the Western Australian legislation website, not the Act itself."},"complexity_factors":["No actual legislative text was retrievable — the source URL returned a website error page only","Analysis is impossible without the text of the Act","The Act's age (1844) may mean it has been repealed, consolidated, or superseded, adding uncertainty about its current status"],"plain_english_summary":"The Street Alignment Act 1844 (WA) is an early colonial law—text unavailable online—that, from its title, likely set rules on how buildings and fences must align with streets. It would historically affect landowners, builders and local authorities by governing setbacks and street boundaries.\n\nBecause the statute’s wording can’t be confirmed here, consult WA legislation.gov.au for the authoritative text before relying on it."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/street-alignment-act-1844","history":"/api/acts/street-alignment-act-1844/history","analysis":"/api/acts/street-alignment-act-1844/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/street-alignment-act-1844/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/street-alignment-act-1844/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/street-alignment-act-1844/documents"}}