How high can a fence be without council approval?

That depends on where the fence runs. A side or rear fence between neighbours is usually allowed higher than a front fence, a fence on a corner is held lower near the intersection so drivers can see past it, and a fence on a retaining wall or around a pool has rules of its own. Under the height your state and council allow, most dividing fences need only the neighbours’ agreement. Above it, the fence needs approval, and its drawing goes to the certifier or the council.

What decides the height?

Position matters most: the front boundary, a side or rear boundary, or a corner. Then what the fence is. A solid fence near a driveway or an intersection is read for sightlines, a pool barrier answers to the pool safety rules, and a fence in a heritage or character overlay can need a planning approval whatever its height. The ground matters as well. On a sloping lot the fence steps with the ground, and its height is read along the whole run.

Who decides?

For a dividing fence under the height allowed, the neighbours decide between them, and your state’s dividing fence law sets how the cost is shared and what happens when they disagree. Above the height allowed, on a retaining wall or as a pool barrier, the certifier or the council decides. The council also decides anything an overlay brings.

What goes on the drawing?

The drawing shows each run at its true length on the boundary, the type of fence on each, the gates with their swing and the height where it changes. Mark the pool barrier on the same sheet where there is one, and any retaining under the fence. Both neighbours sign the same drawing, and if the job goes to the council, it is the drawing the council reads too.

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the lot from its address in a minute: the boundary from the land records, the house and the existing fence lines from the aerial photo, and the overlays. Trace the run and its length, the gates and the fence type print on the sheet, ready for both owners to sign. The fencing page shows the sheet, the post on fences on retaining walls covers the combined case, and the council pages for every state show what each council maps. The post on finding your property boundaries covers where the line runs before the fence goes in. The post on a neighbour building on the boundary covers sheds and carports against the fence. Start with the address.

Common questions

How high can a fence be without council approval? It depends where the fence runs and what it is. Side and rear fences are usually allowed higher than front ones, corners are held lower for sightlines, and pool barriers and fences on retaining walls have rules of their own. Under the height allowed, most dividing fences need only the neighbours’ agreement.