Which boundary is the front on a corner block?

The council’s rules decide it, and most treat the street the house faces, or the one that carries the address, as the front and the other as a secondary street frontage. Both are street boundaries, so a structure keeps back from each of them, and the secondary one often asks for less. The site plan labels both, because the certifier reads the distance to each.

Does each street boundary have a setback?

Yes. The front setback applies to the primary frontage, and the secondary frontage carries its own setback in most schemes. A garage or carport that opens to the side street can have a setback of its own, so a car can stand in front of the door. A patio along the side street is measured to the boundary itself, which is not always where the fence stands.

How high can a fence be on a corner block?

Lower near the corner than elsewhere. Councils keep a clear area where the two streets meet so drivers can see each other, and a fence, a wall or a hedge inside it is held low or set back. The front fence rules can apply along both street boundaries, so a tall fence on the side street can need approval where the same fence on a back boundary would not. The post on fence heights covers the rest.

What does the corner itself change?

Many corner lots have the corner cut off by a short boundary called a truncation or splay, and it counts as a street boundary too. Driveways are kept away from the corner, and the crossover position goes on the plan for the council to check against the kerb and the corner.

What does the site plan show on a corner lot?

both street boundaries and the truncation, each labelled
the distance from the structure to each street boundary and each side
the fence heights along both streets and near the corner
the driveway and the crossover, measured from the corner

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the council and building rules for your lot from its address, checks the design against them as you place it, lets you edit it as often as you like, and prints the site plan. Site plans and assessments in minutes. Each boundary is marked front, side or rear on the sheet.

Search your address, or see what the plan shows for fences on the real boundary and for a patio. The New South Wales page explains how approval works there, the Newcastle page lists what we hold for that council, and site plans by council covers the rest of Australia.

Common questions

Which boundary is the front on a corner block? The council’s rules decide, and most treat the street the house faces, or the one that carries the address, as the front. The other street boundary is a secondary frontage with its own setback.

What are the setbacks on a corner block? A front setback from the primary street, a secondary street setback that is often smaller, and the side and rear setbacks from the other boundaries. Councils also keep a clear area at the corner itself.

How high can a fence be on a corner block? Lower near the corner, where councils keep a clear area so drivers can see, and the front fence rules can apply along both streets. The site plan shows each fence height along each street.