The general pattern: generous out back, strict out front
Every state and territory treats a fence the same broad way. A side or rear boundary fence, the kind separating you from a neighbour, is usually exempt from planning or building approval up to a set height, typically somewhere between 1.8 and 2.3 metres depending on the state. A fence facing a street, whether it runs along your front boundary or a side boundary on a corner block, gets a much lower cap almost everywhere, because councils treat a street-facing fence as a sightline and streetscape issue rather than a private boundary matter. The table below has the figure for your own state, sourced from each government's own planning rules rather than a single national number.
Fence height limits, state by state
Figures are for a standard residential fence in a typical zone. A masonry (brick, stone or rendered) fence is usually capped lower than a timber, Colorbond or aluminium one of the same height.
| State | Side/rear fence, no approval up to | Front fence facing the street |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 1.8 m (1.2 m if masonry) | 1.2 m |
| VIC | Up to 2 m | 1.5 m (1.2 m masonry) within 3 m of the street |
| QLD | Under 2 m | Set by each council; check the local plan |
| WA | Around 1.8 m (council fencing local law dependent) | 1.8 m, see-through above 1.2 m |
| SA | 2.1 m (1 m if masonry) | 1 m within 6 m of a road intersection |
| TAS | 2.1 m (1.8 m next to public land) | 1.2 m solid, up to 1.8 m if 30%+ see-through |
| ACT | 2.3 m behind the front building line | Needs a development application in almost every case |
| NT | Under 1 m (no limit for open mesh/chain wire) | Under 1 m |
Heritage overlays, bushfire-prone land, corner-block sightline triangles and an individual council's own local law can all lower these figures further. Check with your council before building anything close to these limits.
The outliers worth knowing about
Three jurisdictions sit well outside the common 1.8–2 m pattern. The Northern Territory is the strictest by far: a building permit is required for any fence over 1 metre unless it's an open style, like chain wire or mesh, that doesn't offer wind resistance, well below every other state or territory's side/rear allowance. The ACT sits at the other end: side and rear boundary fences behind the front building line can go up to 2.3 metres without a development application, the most generous allowance in the country, though a front fence in the ACT needs a DA in almost every case. Western Australia runs its rules through two layers at once, the statewide Residential Design Codes and each local council's own fencing local law, so the true limit on a WA property depends on which council area it's in, not just a single state figure.
Pool fencing is its own category, regardless of height
None of the above applies once a fence encloses a swimming pool. Every state and territory requires pool fencing to comply with Australian Standard AS 1926.1, no climbable gaps, a self-closing and self-latching gate, and most councils require a compliance inspection before the pool goes into use, on top of whatever height rule would otherwise apply to a fence in that position. Our fencing calculator's own pool fencing option, above, already prices this compliance requirement into the higher aluminium and glass pool fencing ranges. Getting the height right under a state's general fence rules doesn't skip this step: a pool fence still needs its own sign-off, even at a height that wouldn't otherwise need one.
None of this covers who pays for a shared boundary fence, that's a separate question answered by each state's own Dividing Fences Act, covered directly in the calculator's own content above. This guide is only about whether a fence needs planning or building sign-off before it goes up.
Common questions
How tall can I build a fence without council approval in Australia?
Most states allow a side or rear boundary fence somewhere between 1.8 and 2.3 metres without approval, the ACT is the most generous at 2.3 metres and the Northern Territory the strictest at under 1 metre. Front fences facing a street are capped much lower almost everywhere, usually 1.2 to 1.5 metres. Check the table above for your own state.
Does a pool fence need approval even if it's under the general height limit?
Yes. Pool fencing has to comply with Australian Standard AS 1926.1 (no climbable gaps, a self-closing and self-latching gate) in every state and territory, regardless of how tall it is, and most councils require a compliance inspection. A general fence-height exemption doesn't cover this separate requirement.
Which state or territory has the strictest fence height rules?
The Northern Territory, by a clear margin: a building permit is required for effectively any fence over 1 metre unless it's an open style, like chain wire, that doesn't act as a wind barrier. Every other state and territory allows at least 1.8 metres for a side or rear boundary fence without approval.
What if my neighbour won't pay their share once the fence is approved?
That's a separate process from council or planning sign-off. See our companion guide on what happens if your neighbour won't pay for a dividing fence for the notice-then-apply process and which court or tribunal handles it in your state.
Sources
NSW side/rear and front fence height limits for exempt development, quoted directly: NSW Department of Planning, Fences – Rules for exempt and complying development. Victorian building-permit exemption heights (2 m elsewhere, 1.5/1.2 m within 3 m of a street, 1 m within 9 m of a corner), quoted directly: Merri-bek City Council, When is a building permit not required for a fence? (Building Regulations 2018). Queensland's 2 metre accepted-development threshold under the Queensland Development Code MP1.2: Western Downs Regional Council, Fact Sheet: Fences. WA's Residential Design Codes fencing provisions and the deemed-to-comply front fence standard: WA Department of Planning, R-Codes Practice Notes, worked example: City of Mandurah, Front and dividing fences. South Australian fence height restrictions (masonry over 1 m, any other fence over 2.1 m, and within 6 m of a road intersection), quoted directly: Legal Services Commission of SA, Fences and the law and sa.gov.au, Boundaries and fences. Tasmanian planning-permit exemption heights for front and side/rear fences: Tasmanian Planning Commission, Tasmanian Planning Scheme – State Planning Provisions. ACT's 2.3 metre side/rear DA exemption and front-fence DA requirement, quoted directly: ACT Government, Fences. NT building-approval exemption for fences under 1 metre or without wind resistance: NT Government, Building a garden shed, carport, fence or shade structure. All fetched July 2026.