A front fence is defined as any fence at the front of your property that is within 3m of the title boundary. If your fence is more than 3m from the front boundary and more than 2m in height, you must apply for a Building Permit.
- If the fence you are building is on a street corner, please also see
- If the fence you are building is brick, please also see
- If the fence you are building is a pool fence, please also see
Do you need a planning permit?
If your residential site has ever had a previous planning permit (including Unit Development sites), even if a long time ago, then it’s likely you will need to amend your original planning permit if you are building or changing a fence. If you are replacing with exactly the same fence then no amendment is needed.
You can apply online to amend a Planning Permit. You will need to tell us the location and design of the fence. If you are amending an existing Planning Permit, you will not need to apply for a Building Dispensation.
Do you need a dispensation?
Building regulations do allow for some flexibility when your proposed fence does not comply with building regulations. Areas that are considered when looking at a dispensation on a proposed fence include:
- if it is in keeping with fences in the immediate area
- how close its height is to the building regulations.
You will need to apply for a dispensation if you want to build a fence higher than the following regulations.
Front fence height regulations
You need to know the zone of your land under the Maroondah Planning Scheme to know how high you can build you front fence.
Check VicPlan and find your
If your zone is one of:
- Neighbourhood Residential Zone
- General Residential Zone
- Residential Growth Zone
- Mixed Use Zone
then you can build a front fence up to 0.9m in height (or up to 1.2m high on a Declared Road) without the need for a Dispensation or Building Permit.
If you want to build a higher fence, you need to:
- Apply for a Dispensation
- Apply for a Building Permit if the dispensation is granted.
For all other Zones you can build a front fence up to 1.5m in height (or up to 2m high on a Declared Road) - without the need for a Dispensation or Building Permit.
Apply for a Dispensation
You may also need to look at:
Do you need a Building Permit?
You must apply for a Building Permit if:
- you have been granted a Planning Permit or Dispensation as above
- your fence is more than 3m from the front boundary and more than 2m in height
- the fence will be brick, and higher than 1.2m.
Apply for a building permit