This information is for use by owners, builders, developers, drafters and architects wishing to have a new vehicle crossing constructed with the Derwent Valley Council.

You are urged to follow these guidelines when considering the construction of a vehicle crossing. Compliance with these guidelines will save you time and money.

What is a driveway crossing?

A driveway crossing is the section of ground including the concrete kerb and footpath, culvert pipe or bridge that you use to get your vehicle from the roadway to the driveway within your property.

A typical urban driveway crossing is shown below.

Who is responsible for constructing and maintaining the driveway crossing?

State Government legislation requires the owners of property to be responsible for constructing and maintaining their driveway crossing, even though it is located in the Council’s reserve.

Council may serve a Notice on an owner to require a sub-standard driveway crossing to be replaced or an existing driveway crossing to be repaired. If the owner fails to comply with the Notice the council may carry out the work at the owner’s cost.

Where a footpath needs to be constructed for pedestrian safety or convenience, the property owner is required to meet the additional cost of footpath thickening where the footpath crosses a driveway. This additional thickening generally costs in the order of $30.00 for a standard driveway.

Council is responsible for damage to the crossing caused by Council’s works or if Council’s services need replacing. If you believe Council works have affected your driveway, phone (03) 6261 8513.

Where can a driveway crossing be located?

Council normally only approves one driveway to each property. Lots with two road frontages, such as corner lots, may have more driveways, as long as no more than one driveway is located on each road frontage.

The location of the driveway crossing must be selected after taking into account:

• Available sight distances to and from the drive way in relation to the speed of through traffic;
• The location of any obstructions, such as electricity poles, signs, etc; and
• The distance to the nearest street intersection or boundary.

The driveway crossing is normally located on the lower side of the property frontage to allow a garage to be located under a building or to act as a drain for the lot.

Sometimes, when building on a vacant lot, the existing driveway crossing is located on the wrong side. In these cases a new driveway crossing may be provided at the owners cost. Council will require the old crossing to be removed and the kerb or roadway made good.

What construction standards apply?

Council has minimum construction standards for driveway crossings.

For residential crossings a width of 3.00 metres is normally required at the property boundary. Commercial driveway crossings are required to be not less than 5.00 metres wide.

In urban areas, or where a kerb is constructed, driveway crossings are to be constructed from concrete. Coloured or patterned concrete, or paving are not accepted. In rural areas the driveway crossing is required to be sealed, except where the road is unsealed.

Concrete arches, metal plates, or other similar devices are not permitted in the kerb and channel as part of a driveway crossing except in special circumstances.

In rural areas a culvert pipe may be required, particularly for driveway crossings located on the high side of the road. The culvert pipe is required to be sized to take the flow in the drain but must be at least 300mm diameter.

More detailed drawings and specifications are available from Council. Contact the Environmental Services Department for additional information.

What permits are required?

Prior to commencement of works, all new and replacement driveway crossings, relocated or additional driveways will require a planning permit.

When planning approval has been given, you will need to apply for a Driveway Crossover Permit. Application forms for permits may be collected at the Customer Services Department, Circle Street New Norfolk or by telephoning (03) 6261 8500.

Once your application has been received by Council, a technical officer will organise a site inspection to ascertain if the proposed location complies with all relevant Australian Standards and issue a permit as required.

Refer to Council’s current fees and charges register for the applicable fee (which includes 1 inspection fee).  If further inspections are required, additional fees will apply.

Most permits for a standard driveway crossing can be issued in 5 working days.

Who is responsible for the standard of work?

In all cases the work must be completed promptly, normally within three (3) days. The work must be barricaded and signed in accordance with standard roadwork construction practice.

All works, products or materials used are required to comply with the standard drawings and specifications. Products and materials not included in the standard documents are required to be authorised first by the Council’s Engineer.

If the work is carried out by your contractor, the contractor who carries out the work, or the person who has work carried out under their control, is responsible for the quality of the work and any materials or products used.

This is the case even though the Council may have inspected the work.

The Engineer may require a contractor to repair defective work for a period of up to 12 months from the date of the final inspection.

Do the works need to be inspected?

If you elect to have an experienced contractor carry out the work it will generally need to be inspected by the Council’s Engineer. The driveway crossing fee includes one inspection, any additional inspections will incur a charge as per Council's Fees and Charges Register.

The work is required to be inspected at the following stages:

• When work is ready to start; or
• On completion of the preparation of the base prior to concreting; or
• On completion of the work.

You will need to notify Council 48 hours before reaching these stages, otherwise our Inspector may not be available. Inspection bookings may be made in person, by telephone or by fax.

If an inspection is not carried out within 24 hours of the agreed time you may proceed with the works.

Before commencing any construction you should contact Telstra on 1100 or Aurora Energy on 13 2004, to check the location of any cables and avoid danger to yourself or damage to cables.