Vehicle Crossing Permits in Melton: How the Application Works
Almost everyone who searches for a driveway in Melton arrives at the permit late, usually after getting quotes. It is worth arriving at it first, because it determines your timeline and occasionally determines whether the driveway you have in mind is possible at all. Melton City Council issues a Permit to Create or Interfere with a Vehicle Crossing under the Local Government Act 2020 and the council's local law. It is required to build a new crossing, to widen, narrow or alter an existing one, and to remove one. The permit covers the section between the road and your property boundary, which is council-controlled land — not yours — and that single fact explains most of the rules that follow.
Who has to apply
The application is made in relation to the property, and the property owner is the responsible party. A contractor can prepare and lodge it on the owner's behalf, which is what we do, but the obligations attach to the owner. If you are building through a volume builder, check whether the crossing is in your contract before assuming it is handled.
What it costs
Council charges a set application fee, tiered by whether the works are minor or non-minor and by the speed limit of the road. The 2025-26 figures listed on the national ABLIS register were $153.94 for minor works on a road below 50 km/h, $388.99 for non-minor works below 50 km/h, and $153.94 for minor works above 50 km/h. Councils review fees annually, generally from 1 July, so treat these as indicative and confirm the current schedule with Melton City Council.
There is also an insurance requirement: anyone working in the road reserve must hold public liability cover of at least $10 million. This is the requirement that quietly rules out the cheapest quotes, because not every operator carries it.
How long it takes
Allow roughly ten business days for assessment of a straightforward application. Incomplete submissions are the main cause of delay — a missing insurance certificate or a sketch that does not show setbacks and service locations will come back for more information rather than being assessed.
What council is actually assessing
The assessment is practical rather than aesthetic. It looks at width and position on the frontage, and the number of crossings a property is permitted. It looks at clearance from street trees, power poles, pits, drainage structures and side boundaries. It looks at sight distance, particularly near corners and on faster roads. It looks at the profile — layback, splay and grade — against council's standard drawing, so a car does not ground crossing the kerb. And it looks at whether the crossing interferes with the flow of water in the kerb and channel.
The most common reasons an application stalls
In rough order: the proposed crossing clashes with a street tree or a service pit; the frontage is not wide enough for the second crossing being requested; the drawing does not show enough detail to assess; the contractor's insurance certificate is missing or expired; or the site is on a higher-speed road and no traffic management has been proposed.
All of these are avoidable, and all of them cost weeks when they happen.
Inspections and sign-off
Crossing work in the road reserve is inspected. Typically that means an inspection before the pour, once the excavation, base and formwork are in and the reinforcement is placed, and a final check afterwards. Pouring before an inspection that was required is the one mistake with no cheap remedy — the concrete may have to come out.
What we do
We prepare the application with a dimensioned sketch showing setbacks, services and trees, attach current insurance, lodge it, respond to any request for further information, and book the inspections around the pour. If you already have a concreter and only want the permit work handled, we can do that as a standalone piece.
Requirements and fees change. Confirm current details with Melton City Council before relying on any figure on this page.
Common Questions
Can I build the crossing first and get the permit afterwards?
No. The crossing sits on council-controlled land, so unpermitted work there is not something that can be regularised the way some private-property work can. Council can require non-compliant work to be removed and reinstated at the owner's cost. Apply first.
Do I need a permit just to resurface my existing crossing?
Any work that creates or interferes with a vehicle crossing falls under the permit. Resurfacing, widening, narrowing and removing all count. If you are unsure whether a specific repair qualifies, ask council directly before starting.
Is this the same as a planning permit or a building permit?
No, and having one does not remove the need for the other. The crossing permit is an infrastructure approval for works in the road reserve. It is issued separately from any planning permit for the development or building permit for the dwelling.
Can I do the work myself?
The obligations sit with the property owner, but the practical barrier is the insurance: works in the road reserve require public liability cover of at least $10 million, which most homeowners do not hold. In practice this is contractor work.
How many crossings can one property have?
It depends on the frontage width, the road, and council's assessment. A second crossing on a standard suburban frontage is often refused simply because there is not enough kerb left between crossings, street trees and the side boundaries. Wider frontages have a much better prospect.
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