Fence removal
Fibro fences are everywhere in Melbourne's post-war suburbs. Here is how to tell if yours is asbestos, who can take it down, what it costs and who pays.
Updated every quarter: the Melbourne Fence Cost Index. What it really costs to build a lasting fence in Melbourne, line by line, from dated public prices, with a CSV you can cite. See the Melbourne Fence Cost Index.
Fibro fences are flat or corrugated cement sheet, often capped with a cement capping, and very common on Melbourne boundaries built from the 1950s to the 1980s. WA Health's guidance says a cement sheet fence installed before 1990 is highly likely to be asbestos containing material, and that only laboratory analysis can identify it for sure. Asbestos was used in Australian building products until about 1987 and banned outright in 2003.
Brand names stamped on the sheets, such as Super Six, Deep Six, Hardiflex or Fibrolite, are a clue but not proof: the national asbestos product register notes that Super Six was also made without asbestos until at least 1992. Anything not stamped asbestos free should be treated with caution until a NATA accredited laboratory tests a sample. The same register notes the lower part of the sheets can be buried up to 600mm in the ground, which matters when the fence comes out.
Leave it alone in the meantime. The Victorian asbestos hub says not to drill, sand, cut or use high pressure water on material that may contain asbestos. A fence in good condition that is not disturbed is unlikely to be a risk; cracked, broken or weathered sheets are the ones to deal with.
Victorian law lets homeowners remove very small amounts of non friable asbestos in limited circumstances, but the Victorian asbestos hub recommends a removalist who holds a WorkSafe licence for any amount, and a full fence run is far more than a small amount. WorkSafe licenses two main classes of removalist:
| Licence | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Class A | All types of asbestos, including friable (crumbly) material |
| Class B | All types of non friable (bonded) asbestos, which is what an intact cement sheet fence usually is |
Builders, plumbers and fencers generally do not hold an asbestos removal licence. Ask the removalist for their WorkSafe licence number and class before you book.
Asbestos must never go in a skip, a household bin or green waste, and dumping it is a target of EPA's illegal waste taskforce. A householder carrying their own household asbestos to a landfill that accepts it does not need Waste Tracker, but the landfill will only take a small, properly packaged amount, so call ahead.
Published guides price asbestos fence removal per job or per metre. They do not agree exactly, so treat these as a range to sense check quotes against, not a price list:
| Source | Published range | Date |
|---|---|---|
| What's The Damage, asbestos removal cost Melbourne | About $1,500 to $4,000 per job for a standard fence run; about $45 to $110 per metre | November 2026 |
| The Quote Yard, asbestos removal Victoria | About $1,000 to $3,500 per job, usually one day | June 2026 |
| The Quote Yard, find a fencer Melbourne | Removing an asbestos cement fence commonly adds about $80 to $200 per metre to a fence job | October 2026 |
Extra lines you may see: sampling and a lab test (What's The Damage puts this at about $200 to $450 for one to three samples) and air monitoring and a clearance inspection (about $400 to $2,000). Longer runs, broken sheets, buried sections and tight access push the price up. The new fence is a separate cost: our fence replacement cost guide breaks that down line by line.
The Victorian Government's fencing checklist says fencing costs are generally shared equally between neighbours, and lists removing the existing fence among the costs that can be shared. It does not single out asbestos, so the usual approach is to treat the asbestos removal as part of the shared job and agree it up front. Put the removal in your Fencing Notice as its own line, with the removalist's quote attached. If you cannot agree, the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria offers free help, and our guide on who pays for a dividing fence covers the rules.
Most fibro fences are replaced with a timber paling fence or Colorbond. We build both on new posts set in concrete, and our timber fences use hardwood posts as standard. Book the removalist and us together and the new fence can follow as soon as the line is cleared. Start with the free online instant estimate for the new fence, then a free on-site measure and written quote.
Fibro boundaries are common in the post-war suburbs we work in, including Cheltenham, Mentone, Moorabbin, Highett, Bentleigh East, Dandenong, Springvale, Frankston, Oakleigh, Clayton. See also our guide to old fence removal.
A cement sheet (fibro) fence installed before 1990 is highly likely to contain asbestos, according to WA Health guidance. Brand names such as Super Six are a clue but not proof. Only a test by a NATA accredited laboratory confirms it.
Victorian law allows homeowners to remove very small amounts of non friable asbestos in limited circumstances, but a full fence run is far more than that, and the Victorian asbestos hub recommends a removalist who holds a WorkSafe licence for any amount.
Published 2026 guides put it at about $1,000 to $4,000 per job for a standard fence run, or roughly $45 to $110 per metre. Testing, air monitoring and clearance can be extra. The new fence is a separate cost.
Victoria's fencing checklist lists removing the existing fence among the costs neighbours can share, and costs are generally split equally. Asbestos is not singled out, so agree it up front and put the removal in the Fencing Notice.
Yes. The removalist notifies WorkSafe at least 24 hours before work for up to 10 square metres of non friable asbestos, and at least five days before in all other cases, which covers most fence runs.
No. Asbestos must not go in skips, household bins or green waste. Removalists take it to an authorised landfill and record it in EPA's Waste Tracker; ask them for the receipt.
No. Asbestos removal is done by a removalist who holds a WorkSafe licence. We build the new timber or Colorbond fence once the line has been cleared.
Start with a free online instant estimate: draw your boundary on a satellite map and see a figure in about 2 minutes. Then book a free, no-obligation on-site measure and written quote. We need 24 hours' notice and there is no deposit to book.
Get my instant estimate → Call (03) 4328 3068General information only, current at November 2026. It is not safety or legal advice; follow WorkSafe Victoria and your removalist. Price ranges are from the published third-party guides named above and change over time; they are not Expanse Fencing prices. Sources: WA Health, guidance note on asbestos cement fences; Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency, product register; Asbestos in Victoria, homeowner or renovator; WorkSafe Victoria, asbestos removal licences and removal notification; EPA Victoria, dispose of asbestos waste; Victorian Government fencing checklist; What's The Damage (asbestos removal cost Melbourne, November 2026); The Quote Yard (asbestos removal VIC, June 2026; find a fencer Melbourne, October 2026).