Maintenance of road verges surrounding private property

Maintaining road verges (also called nature strips) is important for the presentation of your street and the overall appearance of our community. The road verge is the area of land between your property boundary and the road or kerb. These nature strips provide important open space that support:

pedestrian access and movement
street trees and landscaping
underground and above-ground utility services
stormwater drainage infrastructure
visibility and safety for road users
the overall amenity and appearance of the streetscape

Road verges typically include turf, garden beds, street trees and footpaths. In most cases, a road verge is located at the front of your property. Some properties may have additional road verges adjoining the side or rear of the property.

Who looks after your road verge?

It is common practice for residents, property owners and businesses to maintain the turf and garden areas within the road verge adjoining their property (excluding street trees). Maintaining your road verge may include:

mowing and edging turf areas
watering lawns and gardens as required
weeding garden beds
pruning and maintaining shrubs and plants
removing litter and debris
keeping footpaths clear and accessible

Council is responsible for the management of street trees and may prune, mulch or replace them when necessary. To learn more about how you can help care for street trees, visit the street tree maintenance page.

When is it appropriate for council to maintain a road verge?

Council is committed to providing safe and unobstructed access for pedestrians and vehicles by ensuring road corridors, including road verges, remain safe, functional and accessible. As such, Council is responsible for maintaining road verges in the following circumstances:

Public reserve areas, such as beaches, foreshores, bushland, parks and gardens
Council-owned and managed facilities, including public buildings, recreation grounds and swimming pools
Central business districts
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) devices, including biopods and raingardens
Median strips
Roundabouts and associated landscaped areas
Vegetation which obstructs sight lines and creates a safety concern for pedestrians, cyclists or motorists.
The verge is located at the rear of a property and is inaccessible to the adjoining owner.
The verge presents a significant safety risk for residents carrying out maintenance, such as steeply sloping areas.

Working together

In some circumstances, Council may support residents who wish to replace garden beds with turf at their own cost to simplify ongoing maintenance. We will consider these requests on a case-by-case basis and work closely with affected residents to determine a suitable outcome.

Council does not undertake routine maintenance of road verges adjoining private, commercial, industrial or Council-leased properties. We recognise and appreciate that many residents choose to maintain these areas, contributing to the presentation and amenity of their local community. This enables Council to focus resources on delivering other essential services across the region.