The driveway for a house is generally considered accepted development, subject to requirements. This includes dual occupancies, bed and breakfast accommodation and home-based businesses.
This means you don’t need approval to carry out driveway works if you meet the requirements.
You do not need an operational works permit if:
- For urban residential and commercial driveway crossovers, you have a relevant Standard Drawing from the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia, Queensland & Northern Territory (IPWEA).
- For rural driveway crossovers where a table drain is present, you have the Standard Drawing - SD1807 Rural Property Access 1 and 2 from the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR).
- Your proposed driveway meets the requirements of Part 9.4.7 Works and Services Code of the Toowoomba Regional Planning Scheme.
These requirements may change depending on the location of the proposed driveway. Check the relevant section to see if you meet these requirements.
If you cannot meet the Standard Drawing requirements, get advice from a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ).
If your proposed driveway needs access to a state-controlled road, you need approval from the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Residential urban areas
You do not need approval for a driveway in a residential urban area if your proposed driveway is not:
- a second access to the property
- a crossover to a road with bluestone kerbing
- within 25m of a road intersection with traffic signals
- within 20m of a road intersection in a commercial or industrial area without traffic signals
- within 10m of a road intersection in a community, residential, rural or other area without traffic signals
- within 1m of any infrastructure, including street signage, power poles, street lights, manholes, stormwater gully pits or other Council assets
- within the Tree Protection Zone, as defined by Australian Standard 4970
- for a lot with a frontage of 10m or less
- more than 4m wide, for a lot with a frontage of between 10m and 20m
- more than 6m wide, for a lot with a frontage of more than 20m.
Except where in a Rural Zone, accepted residential driveway crossovers:
- do not need to change, move or remove any existing infrastructure, such as street trees, fire hydrants, water meters, manholes or stormwater gully pits
- are not next to a traffic island, speed control device, car parking bay, bus stop or other structure within the roadway
- do not need to change or remove any existing kerbing, traffic island, speed control device, car parking bay, bus stop or other structure within the road reserve
- do not need to change existing footpath or verge profiles, including table drains (where relevant)
- are not restricted by an access restriction strip or link reserve
- do not access an unformed road or road without a kerb
- should be constructed from reinforced concrete
- should be perpendicular to the road edge.
Driveways in a residential urban area must be in line with the:
- Australian Standard AS 2890.1 – Off Street Car Parking and Australian Standard AS 2890.2 (where relevant)
- IPWEA Standard Drawing, RSD-100-101 Vehicle Crossing - Residential Driveways
- Australian Standard AS 4970 – Protection of Trees on Development Sites.
Residential rural areas
You do not need approval for a driveway in a residential rural area if your proposed driveway is not:
- a second access to the property
- a crossover to a road with bluestone kerbing
- within 25 m of a road intersection with signals
- within 20m of an road intersection in a commercial or industrial area without traffic signals
- within 10m of a road intersection in a community, residential, rural or other area without traffic signals
- within 1m of any infrastructure, including street signage, power poles, street lights, manholes, stormwater gully pits or other Council assets
- within the Tree Protection Zone, as defined by Australian Standard 4970
- for a lot with a frontage of 10m or less
- wider than 4m, for a lot with a frontage of between 10m and 20m
- wider than 6m, for a lot with a frontage of more than 20m.
Where in a Rural Zone, accepted residential driveway crossovers:
- do not need to change, move or remove any existing infrastructure, such as street trees, fire hydrants, water meters, manholes or stormwater gully pits
- are not next to a traffic island, speed control device, car parking bay, bus stop or other structure within the roadway
- do not need to change or remove any existing kerbing, traffic island, speed control device, car parking bay, loading bay, bus stop or other structure within the road reserve
- do not need any change to existing footpath or verge profiles, including table drains (where relevant)
- are not restricted by an access restriction strip or link reserve.
The driveway must also be sealed if accessing a sealed formed road and be on a 90-degree angle to the road edge.
Driveways in a residential rural area must be in line with the Department of Transport and Main Roads Standard Drawing - SD1807 Rural Property Access 1 and 2.
Commercial areas
You do not need approval for a non-residential driveway crossover to a public road if your proposed driveway is not:
- a second access to the property
- a crossover to a road with bluestone kerbing
- within 25m of a road intersection with traffic signals
- within 20m of an road intersection in a commercial or industrial area without traffic signals
- within 10m of road intersection in a community, residential, rural or other area without traffic signals
- for a lot with a frontage of 10m or less
- within 1m of any infrastructure, including street signage, power poles, street lights, manholes, stormwater gully pit, or other Council assets
- within the Tree Protection Zone, as defined by Australian Standard 4970-2009.
Accepted non-residential driveway crossovers to a public road:
- do not need to change, move or remove any existing infrastructure, such as street trees, fire hydrants, water meters, manholes or stormwater gully pits
- are not next to a traffic island, speed control device, car parking bay, bus stop, or other structure within the road reserve
- do not need to change or remove any existing kerbing, traffic island, speed control device, car parking bay, loading bay, bus stop or other structure within the road reserve
- do not need to change existing footpath or verge profiles, including table drains (where relevant)
- are not restricted by an access restriction strip or link reserve
- do not access an unformed road or road without a kerb.
The driveway should be constructed from reinforced concrete, be at a 90-degree angle to the road edge and keep space for the planting of at least one street tree per lot frontage.
Non-residential driveway crossovers to a public road must be in line with:
- the Australian Standard AS 2890.1 – Off Street Car Parking and Australian Standard AS 2890.2 (where relevant)
- the IPWEA-QNT Standard Drawing RSD-102
- Australian Standard AS 4970-2009 – Protection of Trees on Development Sites.
If your proposed driveway does not meet requirements, or the crossover is for other works such as a stormwater crossover, you may need to apply for an operational works permit for footpath crossovers. This permit includes driveways and stormwater crossings within the footpath area.
How to apply
You can lodge and application with us, either:
- online (preferred)
- by email
- in person.
Provide as much detail as possible in your application, including supporting reasons for your request.
To find out what documents you need to provide, see the Operational works permit checklist(PDF, 238KB).
For advice on how to complete the application form, see the DA form guide: Forms 1 and 2.
Assessing your application
After you submit your application, we'll do a site inspection of the property.
We'll assess the proposal in your application and advise you of the outcome.
You must have all necessary approvals in place before starting any work.
Site plan information
Take note of these standard conditions and ensure you include all relevant information in your application to Council.
For driveway, footpaths and kerbs, include:
- details of the proposed driveway crossover, such as location, width, length and construction material (for example, concrete, pavers etc.)
- the type of kerb, such as bluestone, concrete barrier or layback kerb
- details of any existing sealed footpath, such as width and type, concrete or asphalt
- if an extended layback kerb crossing is desired for the driveway
- any existing crossovers or stormwater connections to your property or the adjacent property if close to the boundary
- distance from side and front boundaries
- details of any existing services, such as Telstra pits, power poles, Ergon electrical boxes and fire hydrants
- details of any street trees, stormwater gully pits, water meters, sewer or stormwater manholes
- clearance between the proposed driveway or stormwater crossover and any above mentioned services.
Also include details of any existing street trees. Show distances for clearance to the trunk and dripline of the tree’s canopy. If the proposed crossover is within the dripline of an existing street tree, you must consult our Parks and Recreation Services.
For stormwater connection, include:
- location, size and type of pipe and kerb adaptor for stormwater connections
- any existing crossovers or stormwater connections to your property or the adjacent property, if close to the boundary.
For property details, include:
- distance from side and front boundaries
- details of any existing services, such as Telstra pits, power poles and fire hydrants
- clearance between the proposed driveway or stormwater crossover and these services
- approximate ground levels and whether the block is higher or lower than the kerb.
For steep or non-standard footpath profiles, you may need a section along the driveway.
If you’re working in a road reserve, such as sectioning off the driveway area, you may need to apply for approval. This is separate from the operational works permit for the crossover.
For more information call us on 131 872 and ask to speak to the Transport and Drainage – Road Operations section.
If the proposed development is near existing street trees, refer to AS4970 Protection of Trees on Development Sites.
If you’re planning to carry out work that could disturb the ground of an existing tree, you must consult with Council's Parks and Recreation Services. Call us on 131 872.
To find out more about technical specifications:
For further advice about applying for a permit or the application process, see Development application process.
You can also access referral agency forms online through our customer service portal. The relevant forms are:
- Referral agency response - discretion/concession
- Referral agency response - Planning Scheme.
The information on this page is only a guide. Toowoomba Regional Council has prepared this information to help people understand the Toowoomba Regional Planning Scheme and building legislation. Consult the Toowoomba Regional Planning Scheme for detailed information, including maps (zones, local plans, overlays and priority infrastructure plan), provisions and policies. This page doesn't replace the provisions of the Toowoomba Regional Planning Scheme and building legislation.