Permission to fence the road reserve

Reasons to fence the road reserve

You may want to extend your property boundary to:

• better manage roadside vegetation and berm maintenance
• maintain bank tops
• improve stock control
• graze stock on the road reserve

Safety guidelines

Temporary fences

• Use flexible or breakable materials such as electric fence standards (pigtails) or the plastic equivalent.
• Place your fence at least 1.5 metres away from the edge of the road.
• Temporary fences can be erected for a maximum of 7 days.
• Remove livestock from the roadside during the hours of darkness.
• Bulls and horses are not permitted to graze within the road reserve.

Important: Do not use permanent materials such as waratahs. If a vehicle runs off the road and into your fence, waratahs pose a high risk to the people inside.

Permanent fences

• The fence must be durable, stockproof and meet minimum standards.
• In most cases, place your fence at least 3 metres away from the edge of the road.
• You will need to locate underground utilities before construction.
• The fence must not block visibility for road users.

More information about fence requirements is on the application form.

Applying to fence the road reserve

Fees and charges

There is no application fee for setting up a temporary fence.

Before you apply

Contact Council to discuss working on the road.

In most cases, you will need permission to access the road corridor before starting any construction works.

info@waidc.govt.nz

Tip: Put 'working on the road' in the subject line of your email.

How to apply

1. Create a sketch of the site

   Draw an outline of the fence on a map.

2. Download and fill in the form

   Application for temporary or permanent fence (PDF 111KB)

3. Scan your form and sketch
4. Send your form and sketch to us

   Email your form and sketch to:

   info@waidc.govt.nz

   Tip: Put ‘fencing application’ in the subject line of your email.

What happens next

If we approve your application, we will send you an approval letter with conditions for constructing your fence.

If we decline your application, Council will contact you to discuss your options.

Related legislation

Who to contact for more help

Talk to our Corridor team. We can help you with your application.

info@waidc.govt.nz

Tip: Put ‘fencing application’ in the subject line of your email.