Retaining walls

Check for easements

An easement is an area of land on your property that councils and other authorities are allowed to access. When an easement is obstructed, it can prevent important maintenance work and block the flow of stormwater.

Check your Certificate of Title for any easements. If you don’t have this document, you can get a copy from the Landata website for a small fee.

Check for special restrictions

Some properties have special restrictions under the Boroondara Planning Scheme.

To check if your property is listed, visit the Department of Transport and Planning website’s Schedule to Clause 51.01 Specific Sites and Exclusions page.

If your property is listed, contact our Urban Planning team to find out what special restrictions and exemptions apply.

Does your property have any restrictions?

• If yes, check that your retaining wall plans meet any requirements, then go to the next step. 
• If no, go to the next step.

Create a Planning Property Report on the VicPlan website by entering the address of your property. This will show you any overlays (restrictions).

You need a Planning Permit if your property has any of these overlays:

• Heritage Overlay
• Design and Development Overlay (except for Design and Development Overlay Schedule 4)
• Significant Landscape Overlay
• Special Building Overlay
• Land Subject to Inundation Overlay
• Public Acquisition Overlay
• Environmental Significance Overlay.

If your property is on the Victorian Heritage Register you may also need approval from Heritage Victoria. Contact Heritage Victoria for advice on how to apply for approval.

Planning enquiry tool

Use myLot, our free planning enquiry tool, to help you:

• find overlays that apply to your property
• determine if your retaining wall requires a planning permit
• understand why a permit is or isn't needed, referencing the relevant planning rules and overlays.

This tool is intended as a helpful guide and isn’t a final planning decision.

Use our free planning enquiry tool

Does your property have any of these overlays?

• If yes, apply for a Planning Permit then go to the next step.
• If no, go to the next step. 

Check the zone of your property in the Planning Property Report you created in Step 2.

Commercial zones 

You need a Planning Permit if your property is in a Commercial Zone 1 or Commercial Zone 2.

Residential and mixed use zones

You may need a Planning Permit if your property is zoned residential or mixed use, but the retaining wall will be built for non-residential purposes (for example, as part of a medical centre).

Contact our Urban Planning team for advice. 

Do you need to apply for a Planning Permit?

• If yes, apply for a Planning Permit.
• If no, go to the next step.

Consider whether the retaining wall will be used to hold soil back during excavation. Retaining walls that support excavation have different rules than walls designed to keep soil in place.

Measure the height of the wall from its lowest point to the top.

Refer to the site plan to check where the wall is in relation to the property boundaries. The wall must be set back from the property boundaries at a distance equal to its height. For example, a 600 mm-high wall must be placed 600 mm away from the property boundaries.

Walls that support excavation

You may need a Building Permit if the retaining wall:

• is between 400 mm and 1 m high, and 
• is designed mainly to protect an adjoining property or structure, and
• is less than 400 mm away from other structures, and
• doesn’t meet setback requirements. 

Contact a registered building surveyor to find out if you need a Building Permit. 

Tall walls 

You always need a Building Permit if the retaining wall is higher than 1 m.

Do you need to apply for a Building Permit?

• If yes, apply for a Building Permit.
• If no, go to the next step.

You may need other permits, depending on your situation.

If you need to:

• remove, prune or do works within 2 m of a canopy or significant tree during your build, apply for a Tree Works Permit.
• store equipment on a road, footpath or nature strip, apply for a Road or Footpath Occupancy Permit. 

If your works could impact:

• driveway access to your property, apply for a Vehicle Crossing Permit 
• public assets, such as roads, footpath or nature strip, apply for an Asset Protection Permit.

You can start construction:

• after all your permits or permissions have been issued
• if your situation does not require any permits or permissions.