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Dry places

Make your house a dry place

A 'dry place' is a house A 'dry place' is a house where no alcohol is allowed. You can apply to make your house a dry place in these Queensland communities:

  • Cherbourg
  • Coen
  • Doomadgee
  • Hope Vale
  • Mapoon
  • Mossman Gorge
  • Northern Peninsula Area
  • Palm Island
  • Yarrabah

You can make your house a dry place by going to the Magistrates Court if:

  • you live in one of the communities listed above
  • you rent the house or you own the house and live in it
  • everyone that lives in the house (and is 18 years or older) agrees that the house can go dry

If your house is made a 'dry place', anyone who drinks or has any type of alcohol in your house will be breaking the law. They could be fined up to $1900.

How to apply

If you want to make your house a dry place you need to fill out a form and take it to the clerk at the Magistrates Court. Someone from your community justice group can help you fill out the form and take it to the clerk.

The clerk will check your application and let you know if you can make your house a dry place.

Download the form

'Dry place' signs

If the clerk says your house can be a dry place, you'll need to put up a 'dry place' sign. You can get the signs from the police station. Your house will not become a dry place until you have put up the 'dry place' sign out the front of your house.

As you've put the sign up, your house becomes a dry place and anyone who has alcohol in your house will get fined. This includes home-brew.

If you want to stop your place being a dry place for a little while, you can apply to the clerk of the court.

More information

Last reviewed: 21 January 2009