Fencing guide
Heights, permits and overlays for the five councils around our Heatherton base, summarised from each council's own fencing page.
All five councils work from the same state law, Part 5 of the Building Regulations 2018. There is no separate council fence law, but each council's planning scheme (zones, zone schedules and overlays) can lower the front fence height or add a planning permit for your street.
| Fence | General rule | Permit or consent needed |
|---|---|---|
| Side or rear fence, more than 3m back from the street | Up to 2m: generally no building permit | Over 2m: building permit plus council report and consent (regs 90, 91) |
| Front fence, within 3m of the street | 1.5m on most streets, 2m on a declared main road such as Nepean Highway, unless your zone schedule says otherwise (reg 89) | Timber or steel over 1.5m, or masonry over 1.2m: building permit. Above the allowed height: report and consent |
| Corner, within 9m of where two streets meet | 1m above the footpath (reg 92) | Higher: building permit plus report and consent |
| Over 2m near a neighbour's window or backyard | Daylight and overshadowing rules apply (regs 94 to 96) | Non-compliant designs need report and consent |
| Pool or spa barrier | Separate safety barrier rules | Building permit (Kingston and Glen Eira both say so) |
Report and consent is council's formal sign-off to vary a siting rule, which the building surveyor needs before issuing a permit. More detail is in our guide to fence permits in Victoria.
Before designing a front fence, get your free Planning Property Report: open VicPlan, search your address and download the report. It lists your zone, every overlay on the land and your council. The overlays that most often affect a fence:
Planning permit or building permit? A planning permit (from council) asks whether the fence suits the area; a building permit (from a registered building surveyor) asks whether it meets the Building Regulations. You can need one, both or neither. Kingston also notes that title covenants, caveats and section 173 agreements can restrict fence heights.
Enter your address, draw the fence line, and get a free online instant estimate. Your on-site measure and written quote are free, with no obligation and no deposit to book, and we flag height, front fence and overlay issues at the measure.
Get my instant estimate →| Council | Front fence (from its page) | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Kingston | Under 1.2m needs no permit; taller, check your zone schedule or call council | Lots under 300m², lots with two or more dwellings, title covenants |
| Bayside | A building permit may be needed if a fence is higher than average, over 2m or blocks sight lines | Intersection sight lines, trellis on top, heritage overlays, protected trees |
| Glen Eira | Timber or steel up to 1.5m, masonry up to 1.2m, measured from footpath level | Gates, screens and roller doors count as fencing; pools always need a building permit |
| Monash | Height set by your planning zone; above it needs report and consent | Getting the boundary wrong, lots under 300m², flood overlays |
| Stonnington | Residential zones: planning permit over 1.5m on a side street or 2m on a main road | Heritage Overlay: permit needed, low and open front fences preferred |
Our home council: Heatherton, Mentone, Mordialloc, Parkdale, Dingley Village, Moorabbin, Aspendale, Edithvale, Chelsea, Braeside and Clarinda, plus parts of Cheltenham and Highett (shared with Bayside) and Oakleigh South (shared with Monash).
Kingston's fencing permits page, checked 13 October 2026, says:
Kingston's 1.2m front fence figure is lower than the 1.5m state default for timber or steel, so check before going taller. Local pages: Heatherton, Mentone, Mordialloc, Parkdale, Dingley Village, Moorabbin, Highett and fencing contractors in Cheltenham.
Brighton, Hampton, Hampton East, Sandringham, Black Rock and Beaumaris, most of Brighton East (a few properties are in Glen Eira), and parts of Cheltenham and Highett.
Bayside's fences page, checked 13 October 2026, says:
Bayside's planning permit page introduces myLot, an online tool that gives preliminary planning guidance for an address, including land with a Heritage Overlay. Trees are also worth checking: Bayside's Local Law generally needs a tree removal permit for a tree with a trunk circumference over 155cm at 1m above ground, even on private land. Local pages: fencing contractors in Brighton, Brighton East, Hampton, Sandringham, Black Rock and Beaumaris.
Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, McKinnon, Ormond, Carnegie, Murrumbeena, the Caulfields, Elsternwick, Glen Huntly and Gardenvale, plus a few streets of Brighton East.
Glen Eira's fencing rules page, checked 13 October 2026, says:
Glen Eira's page does not cover planning overlays, so check your VicPlan report for any heritage or design control on your street before planning a taller front fence. Local pages: Bentleigh, Bentleigh East and Caulfield.
Oakleigh, Oakleigh East, Mount Waverley, Glen Waverley, Clayton, Mulgrave, Wheelers Hill, Chadstone, Ashwood, Hughesdale, Huntingdale and Notting Hill, plus part of Oakleigh South.
Monash's fences page, checked 13 October 2026, says:
Monash's report and consent guideline for front fences (BLD0259) says consent for a taller front fence is generally only given where more than 25% of properties in the immediate neighbourhood already have a front fence. For overlays, call council on 03 9518 3555. Local pages: Oakleigh, Mount Waverley and Glen Waverley.
Malvern, Malvern East, Armadale, Toorak, Kooyong and Prahran, plus parts of Glen Iris (shared with Boroondara), South Yarra and Windsor.
Stonnington's front fences page, checked 13 October 2026, says:
For a low, open front fence, an aluminium picket fence is one option to put to council. Local pages: Malvern and Glen Iris.
Council and building rules decide what you can build. The Fences Act 1968 decides who pays for a dividing fence: neighbours generally share the cost of a sufficient fence equally, and a Fencing Notice gives your neighbour 30 days to respond. Only the Magistrates' Court can decide a fencing dispute. Councils do not settle those disputes; the free Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria can help neighbours reach agreement. See who pays for a dividing fence, what to do when a neighbour won't pay, and our free Fencing Notice generator.
Most side and rear replacements in these councils need no permit at all. The free on-site measure is where we catch the ones that do, before you commit:
Permits are issued by a registered building surveyor. We are a registered building practitioner (CDB-U 67771), not a surveyor, so we tell you when you need one and build to the permit. From Heatherton we cover south east Melbourne plus the eastern, western and northern suburbs, with Colorbond fencing in the south east too.
Kingston follows the state Building Regulations. A timber or steel side or rear fence under 2m, set more than 3m back from the front boundary, needs no building permit. Council's page says front fences under 1.2m need no permit; for anything taller, check your zone schedule or call council. Within 9m of a street corner, fences over 1m need a building permit and council consent.
Not always. Bayside says a building permit may be needed where a fence is higher than average, over 2m, or could block essential lines of sight, for example near an intersection. A Heritage Overlay or other planning control can add a planning permit, so check your address in VicPlan or Bayside's myLot tool first.
It applies the state rules: no permit up to 1.5m within 3m of the street or 2m behind that, and a building permit for a timber or steel front fence over 1.5m or a masonry one over 1.2m. Within 9m of an intersection the limit is 1m, measured from footpath level.
Not for most fences. A side or rear boundary fence up to 2m generally needs no building permit or council consent. Council gets involved for fences over 2m, front fences above the allowed height, fences over 1m near a street corner, pool barriers, and land with a planning overlay such as heritage.
A heritage overlay is a planning control that protects a heritage place or precinct. It usually means a planning permit is needed to build or demolish a front fence, and councils such as Stonnington prefer low, open front fences under 1.2m. Your free VicPlan property report shows whether you have one.
Your council's planning department handles planning permits and overlays. A registered building surveyor issues building permits and seeks council report and consent where a fence varies the siting rules. For neighbour cost disputes, contact the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria; councils do not settle them.
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, there is no deposit to book, and we will flag any council issues on the day.
Get my instant estimate → Call 0433 938 540General information only, current at October 2026. Fence rules come from the Building Regulations, council planning schemes and your title, and they change. Council pages were summarised as published on 13 October 2026, so check with your council or a registered building surveyor for your property, and with the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria for neighbour cost disputes.
Sources: City of Kingston, Fencing permits; Bayside City Council, Fences; Glen Eira City Council, Fencing rules in Glen Eira; City of Monash, Fences and its front fence report and consent guidelines (BLD0259); City of Stonnington, Front fences; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Part 5; VicPlan; Fencing in Victoria (Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria). This guide is general information, not legal advice.