To protect your pets or livestock, keep them confined to your property with secure fencing. Check your fencing and gates regularly – they should be properly maintained.
Council laws are in place to protect both your animals and the safety of the public, particularly when animals wander onto roads. For penalties and impoundment fees see Animals at Large.
You will need a building permit if you are constructing:
- a fence more than 1.5m in height, constructed of lightweight materials and is located within a 3m of a street alignment
- a side or rear boundary fence more than 2m in height (regardless of materials used or location)
- a concrete or masonry fence more than 1.2m in height, within 3m of a street alignment
- a fence that is more than 1m high and less than 9m from the point of intersection of street alignments (i.e. within 9m of the intersection of the street title boundaries at a corner – specific Council consent is also required)
- a fence forming part of a safety barrier for a swimming pool and/or spa
- a fence over an easement
- any fence where Council consent is required for height or location.
For more information, see: Building permit application process.
You are required to have a compliant safety barrier installed around any body of water that is primarily used for swimming, wading or paddling that can hold water to a depth of 300mm.
For more information, see Pool and spa registration/permits
Trellis and lattice (with or without holes) are deemed to be part of the fence, the same fence rules apply if any part of the fence, including trellis or lattice is:
- more than 2m above ground level; and
- opposite your own or your neighbours windows, particularly on the boundary opposite north-facing, habitable room windows.
Barbed wire
Barbed wire is not permitted on a street alignment unless at a height of at least 2m above the level of the street or public open space.
Tennis court fences
A building permit is not required for a chain wire fence surrounding a tennis court.
Additional information can be found at Fencing Online.
Building estates
In some cases where the property is on a new estate or subdivision, approval from the estate developer may be required as there may be restrictive covenants registered against the title.
If you would like to make contact with your neighbours to discuss shared fencing, you can apply to request their contact details via our form (available in Word(DOCX, 156KB) and PDF(PDF, 1MB)).
If you have a dispute with a neighbour regarding fencing, seek legal advice. Council does not deal with fencing disputes as The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria can help you with dispute resolution around neighbourhood issues such as fences, noise, pets, trees property damage or behaviour. Phone (03) 5440 6100 or 1300 372 888 (free call for country callers).