Town Councils (Chargeable Uses) Rules 2025

Source: Singapore Statutes Online | Archived by Legal Wires

No. S 264
Town Councils Act 1988
Town Councils
(Chargeable Uses) Rules 2025
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 82(1) of the Town Councils Act 1988, the Minister for National Development makes the following Rules:
Citation and commencement
1.  These Rules are the Town Councils (Chargeable Uses) Rules 2025 and come into operation on 10 April 2025.
Chargeable uses for social or recreational purposes
2.  For the purposes of section 21(1)(d)(i) and (ii) of the Act, a Town Council may set such charges as the Town Council from time to time thinks fit for any use —
(a)for a social or recreational purpose specified in the First Schedule —
(i)of any common property within the Town of the Town Council mentioned in paragraph (e), (f) or (h) of the definition of “common property” in section 2(1) of the Act, or any part of that common property; or
(ii)of any improvement made by the Town Council to that common property, including any barbecue pit; or
(b)for the purpose of recreational gardening —
(i)of any common property within the Town of the Town Council that is a garden subdivided into plots, each of which is allotted, for a specified period under a written agreement, for the use of a resident of the Town in which the garden is located; or
(ii)of any improvement made by the Town Council to that common property.
Other chargeable uses
3.—(1)  For the purposes of section 21(1)(d)(i) and (ii) of the Act, a Town Council may set such charges as the Town Council from time to time thinks fit for any use specified in the Second Schedule —
(a)of any common property within the Town of the Town Council or any part of that common property; or
(b)of any improvement made by the Town Council to that common property.
(2)  Despite paragraph (1), a Town Council may not set any charge for any use mentioned in that paragraph, by or on behalf of the Government, the Board or a statutory authority, in the exercise, performance or discharge of any power, function or duty that the Government, the Board or the statutory authority (as the case may be) is required or authorised by written law to exercise, perform or discharge.
Chargeable uses of services
4.  For the purposes of section 21(1)(d)(iii) of the Act, a Town Council may set such charges as the Town Council from time to time thinks fit for the use of any of the following services provided by the Town Council:
(a)provision of any security escort to access common property within the Town of the Town Council that is not accessible to the general public;
(b)removal of renovation debris or any other bulky waste item from any flat in any residential property within the Town of the Town Council;
(c)provision of any skip, container or bin within the Town of the Town Council for the disposal of renovation debris or any other bulky waste item;
(d)publication of any advertisement in a publication of the Town Council, other than an advertisement by or on behalf of the Government, the Board or a statutory authority, in the exercise, performance or discharge of any power, function or duty that the Government, the Board or the statutory authority (as the case may be) is required or authorised by written law to exercise, perform or discharge;
(e)supply of electricity and water to a user of common property within the Town of the Town Council.
Revocation
5.  Revoke the Town Councils (Use of Common Property) Rules 2005 (G.N. No. S 99/2005).
Saving provision
6.  Despite rule 5, if, immediately before 10 April 2025, a Town Council imposes, under an agreement with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, a charge for the installation of a public warning system on roof tops by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the Town Council may, for a period of 6 months starting on that date, continue to impose such a charge under that agreement as if rule 2(1)(d)(vii) of the Town Councils (Use of Common Property) Rules 2005 had not been revoked.
FIRST SCHEDULE
Rule 2(a)
1.  A wedding or a solemnisation of a marriage.
2.  A funeral or a funerary memorial event.
3.  A private social event.
4.  A sporting or recreational activity.
5.  A performance, whether the performance is performed in front of a live audience, or broadcast by any means, or both.
6.  A fair or carnival.
7.  A book fair.
8.  A religious gathering.
9.  A community activity organised in connection with national celebrations, national campaigns or community development.
SECOND SCHEDULE
Rule 3(1)
Part 1
advertisements, banners and signs
1.  Display of any advertisement, banner or sign on the common property, with or without erecting any awning or structure on the common property where the advertisement, banner or sign is or is to be displayed.
Part 2
VENDING MACHINES
1.  Placing of any vending machine on any common property for the use of the public provided that the machine is placed in front of a shop (even if located within a void deck of a building) by an owner or a tenant of the Board occupying that shop.
2.  Placing of any vending machine anywhere within a void deck of a building for the use of the public by a person other than an owner or a tenant of the Board, provided that —
(a)the void deck has no shop or other premises for the carrying out of any trade or business consisting primarily of the sale of goods (including food) or the provision of services by retail (such as a stall, shoplet or kiosk); and
(b)the machine does not occupy in total more than 3 square metres of the void deck floor, or a larger area as approved by the Minister in any particular case.
3.  In paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Part and paragraph 1 of Part 3, “vending machine” means a machine in or at which items are sold or displayed for sale.
Part 3
ANCILLARY USE OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
1.  Any use of any common area in a market or food centre by an owner or a tenant of the Board lawfully occupying any shop within the market or food centre, being a use that —
(a)is limited to a zone of common property ancillary or otherwise related to the lawful conduct of business in the shop; and
(b)is any of the following:
(i)placing of any refrigerator or grinding machine;
(ii)placing of any bottled drinks necessary to be used in the conduct of that business;
(iii)storage of stock-in-trade or any apparatus (except a vending machine) used or necessary to be used in the conduct of that business.
2.  Any use of common property by an owner or a tenant of the Board lawfully occupying any shop within a Town, being a use that —
(a)is limited to a zone of common property ancillary or otherwise related to the lawful conduct of business in the shop; and
(b)is any of the following:
(i)installation and maintenance of one or more air‑condition condensing units and cooling towers;
(ii)placing of electricity generators used or necessary to be used in the conduct of that business;
(iii)installation and maintenance of closed‑circuit television cameras used or necessary to be used in the conduct of that business;
(iv)installation and maintenance of any monitoring devices and other similar devices that are required by the Board or a statutory authority in relation to the conduct of that business;
(v)installation and maintenance of a membrane shade structure or any awning or device to provide shade.
3.  Display of goods during operating hours in front of a shop by an owner or a tenant of the Board lawfully occupying any shop within a Town on a part of the common property directly accessible from an area of the shop where business is lawfully conducted with customers or potential customers.
4.  Installation and maintenance of any exhaust flue by an owner or a tenant of the Board lawfully occupying any eating house within a Town, being limited to a zone of common property ancillary or otherwise related to the lawful conduct of business in the eating house.
5.  Placing of cylinders containing liquefied petroleum gas by an owner or a tenant of the Board lawfully occupying any retail food establishment, laundromat or any other shop not supplying liquefied petroleum gas within a Town, being limited to a zone of common property ancillary or otherwise related to the lawful conduct of business in the retail food establishment, laundromat or any other shop, and in order to use the liquefied petroleum gas to provide goods or services in the course of that business.
Part 4
commercial USEs
1.  Installation of telecommunications equipment on any common property.
2.  Setting up of any of the following temporary premises:
(a)a temporary site office or temporary store in a void deck of a building or an open space, or on the common property of a market or food centre;
(b)a temporary office;
(c)a temporary post office.
3.  Installation of “mail transit cabinets and post boxes” on any common property.
4.  Installation and operation of machines called “kiddie riders” on any common property except any void deck of a building.
5.  Installation of weighing machines on any common property except any void deck of a building.
6.  Use of an open space as a “traffic garden”.
7.  Lawful hawking of goods or food.
8.  Setting up of marked pitches on any common property for service vendors such as cobblers, locksmiths and newspaper vendors.
9.  Installation and operation of bicycle docking stations.
Part 5
MISCELLANEOUS USEs
1.  Installation and operation of any public toilet on the common property of a market, food centre, commercial building or shopping centre within a Town.
2.  Use of any utility room in a void deck for the operation of essential maintenance and lift rescue services.
3.  Film making by any broadcasting licensee under the Broadcasting Act 1994.
4.  Installation and maintenance of amateur radio antennae on a roof top by the Singapore Amateur Radio Transmitting Society.
Made on 7 April 2025.
MELVYN ONG SU KIAT
Permanent Secretary (Development),
Ministry of National Development,
Singapore.
[311/04-146P102; AG/LEGIS/SL/329A/2020/29]
(To be presented to Parliament under section 82(3) of the Town Councils Act 1988).

Archived for legal research. Authoritative version at sso.agc.gov.sg.