City of Bayside

More information:

Information Sheet on Fences

The council defines a fence as a screen or anything similar to one, which includes privacy fences, freestanding trellises and trellis extensions for fences. Situations that necessitate a building permit for a fence include:

  • Front fences that are over 1.2 metres in height
  • Fences next to a street and equipped with barbed wire or anything similar
  • Fences serving as pool or spa barriers
  • Fences within 9.0 metres of an intersection or street corner that are more than 1.0 metre in height from the footpath level
  • Fences that are over 2.0 metres in height from the ground level (except for chain wire fencing enclosing a tennis court)

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Building permits for Bayside projects are mainly issued by private licenced surveyors, but the council is also authorised to do the same. Once the permit is secure, the council will assess if the fencing project will impact publicly owned assets such as drains, signs and walkways. Depending on the outcome, an asset protection permit may also be required.

Permit application fees start at AUD$214.70 for works valued at up to AUD$10,000. Even if your fence doesn’t need a building permit, the council stresses that it must still abide by its fencing regulations.