Do I need council approval for a driveway extension?

Usually, for the part that touches the road. A driveway extension that widens the crossover, the strip between the kerb and the property line, or its layback, the dip in the kerb, needs the council or the road authority, because that strip sits on the road reserve. Extra concrete inside the lot is a different question: it can often go ahead without a building approval, but the council still reads it for where the water goes and how much of the lot it covers.

What does council check on a driveway?

The crossover and layback come first, and the council looks at the width, measured at the kerb and at the property line. Then the distance to the corner, because a crossover too close to an intersection is refused outright. After that, whatever is already on the footpath, such as a power pole, a street tree or a drain pit. The old crossover counts too. Whether it is removed, reused or left is a question the drawing should answer before anyone asks it.

What are council driveway specifications?

Each council writes its own, usually as a standard drawing or a short specification for the crossover. They set how wide it may be at the kerb and at the property line, how far it sits from the corner and the side boundary, what it is built of and how it meets the footpath. The permit has different names: a vehicle crossing permit in Victoria, a verge crossing in the ACT, and a driveway or crossover application in most other places.

Does a permeable driveway change it?

New concrete sends water somewhere it was not going before, and the council reads the impervious area, which counts concrete even where site cover does not. A permeable driveway can let more of it soak in, but how it counts is your council’s call, so ask first. On a lot with little garden left, a long driveway can be what takes it over the limit. A driveway over a sewer main needs the asset owner’s say, and a lot in a flood overlay can bring questions about fill and levels.

What goes into driveway planning?

Planning a driveway settles the crossover position, the widths, the distance to the corner and the fall of the water on the lot as it is. The post on paving covers pavers and paths inside the lot.

Who decides?

The council assesses the crossover, and on some roads the road authority does too. Some councils build the crossover themselves, while others inspect the contractor’s work against their own specification. The drawing can come from the concreter, a drafter or the owner, and some councils call it a block plan.

What goes on the drawing?

the driveway and the crossover, with the width at the kerb and at the property line
the distance to the nearest side boundary and to the corner
the area of each pour, and the direction the water falls
the old crossover, and anything in the way on the footpath

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the lot from its address in a minute, with the boundaries, the existing paths, the kerb and the old crossover traced from the aerial photo, and the mapped easements and mains. Trace the pour and the widths, the offsets and the area of each pour come out together on the sheet. The concreting and driveways page shows the sheet, and the council pages for every state show what each council maps. The post on concreting the backyard covers slabs and paths behind the house. Start with the address.

Common questions

Do I need council approval for a driveway extension? Usually for the part that touches the road. Widening the crossover between the kerb and the property line needs the council or the road authority, because that strip is on the road reserve, while extra concrete inside the lot is read for where its water goes and how much of the lot it covers.

What are council driveway specifications? The council’s own rules for the crossover: its widths at the kerb and at the property line, its distance from the corner and the side boundary, and what it is made of. Most councils publish them as a standard drawing.

What goes into driveway planning? The position of the crossover, the widths, the distance to the corner, the area of each pour and the fall of the water, drawn on the lot with whatever sits on the footpath.