Although the verge outside your home is considered City of Belmont land, you can treat it as an extension of your property in terms of keeping it well-maintained and attractive to reflect your home and garden.

You do not need a permit to add verge treatments (such as paving and landscaping) to your verge – but any works and treatments need to be in accordance with the City’s Local Laws on Verge Treatments.

Prior to implementing a verge upgrade, the City recommends that you contact utility providers or ‘dial before you dig’ to ensure your design will not impact on existing infrastructure.  

Here is some information about maintaining your verge in line with City requirements.

A verge without a footpath

If there is no footpath on your verge, you need to make sure there is at least a 2-metre strip following along the road’s edge which can be used by pedestrians, and not planted with plants.
People walking across this area should be able to use it to move out of the way of passing traffic if needed. This area of your verge needs to be a safe and clear space with stable material to walk on.

Using hardscape materials

Hardscape materials include brick paving and concrete-style treatments. Here are some guidelines to follow:
 

• Verges can include brick paving but cannot consist of more than 50% of hardstand area, not including driveways (crossovers) and footpaths. This rule has been developed to allow infiltration of rainfall, which would otherwise run off into the City’s stormwater drains; 
• If using hardscape materials, it is best to use porous and small format pavers up to 300 x 300mm. These have a higher level of permeability, which allows for better drainage;
• A minimum of 1.5m is recommended between the trunk of a street tree and the installation of paving to protect tree root structures from damage;
• Street trees, including tree roots, should be protected and not damaged or interfered within any way without approval from the City; 
• Any verge treatments should not change the general level and grade of the verge.

Using mulch

If your verge design includes the use of mulch, the City requires a verge garden to be planted within the mulched area. This can help to create a better-looking verge area and can reduce storm water run-off from mulch or nutrients which can be washed into rivers and other waterways. Excess nutrients from stormwater can contribute to unhealthy water and algal blooms. 

When you use mulch on your verge, in line with the City’s regulations, you need to:
 

• Use organic mulch (which is mulch from plants such as bark mulch) to a minimum depth of 75mm;
• Make sure the particle size of the mulch is not more than 20mm and that it does not contain sharp or otherwise dangerous material;
• Prevent mulch from drifting onto footpaths and roads;
• Avoid mulch which contains peat as this is designed to keep moisture on the surface of the soil, which encourages shallow root development and plants may need more water;
• Check that the finished level of the mulch is not any higher than the surrounding top of the kerb and footpath heights.

Plant species for your verge garden

The best plants to use in your verge garden are native low-growing shrubs and groundcovers.
Choose plants which support biodiversity and will not need a lot of water or fertiliser to thrive, by using the Waterwise plant selector on the Water Corporation website.  

Please keep these guidelines in mind with your verge garden:
 

• Garden beds should be mulched (see mulch guidelines above) to help control weeds and retain moisture;
• Select shrubs that will not damage wastewater and drainage pipes and other underground services;
• Plants should not encroach onto footpaths or roadways and (excluding grass or a similar plant) must not be planted within 2 metres of the road. Plants higher than 50cm must not be planted within 6 metres of an intersection;
• Plants should not interfere with vehicle or pedestrian sightlines for anybody using the roadways, footpaths or driveways along your street;
• Plants need to be maintained to a height of less than 50cm, so choosing suitable plant species will save you from regular pruning;
• If there is no footpath on your side of the street, you need to keep a 2 metre-wide unplanted area for pedestrian access;
• Prickly, thorny, ‘spear like’, poisonous, toxic, or plants that are hazardous in nature are not be planted on the verge, including roses with thorny stems, yuccas, cacti, succulents and agaves;
• There should be no holes, stakes (other than street tree stakes), bollards, dividers, trip hazards or other physical barriers that protrude above the level of the verge;
• Plants must not cover service pits or gullies.

Street trees

The City is responsible for the selection, supply, planting, removal and maintenance of all street trees. Here are some important things to know:
 

• You cannot plant street tees on your verge – but you can request a street tree  for your property; 
• It is an offence to prune, remove or damage a street tree without the City’s approval; 
• A minimum of 1.5m is recommended between the trunk of a street tree and the installation of paving or other hardscape materials to prevent damage to tree root structures; 
• Street trees, including tree roots, need to be protected and not damaged or interfered within any way without approval from the City.

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Learn more about the City’s street trees

Watering your verge 

If you use sprinklers or other irrigation on your verge, you need to make sure:
 

• Water is used efficiently, so minimise any spray drift outside the verge area and keep any spray off footpaths or roads;
• Your sprinklers or pipes should not protrude above the level of the lawn or verge treatment when not in use;
• Your irrigation is not used at times which might cause an unreasonable inconvenience to pedestrians or other people;
• You comply with watering days and the Winter Switch Off as per Water Corporation requirements for scheme and bore users; 
• Your irrigation does not present a hazard to anybody, in use or at any other time.

Space for your bins

The City provides a range of verge-side services including rubbish collection. 

Please make sure there is room for your bins to sit on your verge on collection day. Check that anything on your verge will not get in the way of waste collection and that there is nothing which could be displaced or damaged if a bulk bin was delivered. 

Verge treatments which are not permitted

These treatments are not allowed on verges within the City:
 

• Loose stones, gravel, pea gravel (whole or split), aggregate, blue metal, crushed brick or rock as these are easily displaced, collecting on the road, footpath and adjoining properties, posing a hazard for motorists, cyclist and pedestrians;
• The placement of any objects which could be dangerous or restrict access for pedestrians, motor vehicles or cyclist such as rocks, sleepers, stakes and rope, star pickets, bollards, bricks, fencing, retaining walls, raised garden beds, kerbing and any other items that protrude above the natural level of the verge; 
• Sporting equipment such as basketball hoops/stands, cricket wickets, play equipment, cubbies, swings attached to street trees; 
• Landscape treatments which create a barrier within or across the verge, including any barriers or obstacles on the verge to stop unwanted parking;
• Garden ornaments;
• Walls or built structures including raised garden beds.

Space for works on your verge

Vital services and public infrastructure may be located within the verge, such as power and underground utilities including water, gas, stormwater pipes, sewerage and telecommunications.

Some providers, including the City of Belmont and utility providers, have the right to dig up the verge as part of installing, upgrading or repairing new or existing services. 

If these works cause damage to your verge, the authorised provider is generally only required to repair your verge to a certain standard, such as filling in holes. This means unusual or expensive finishes or plantings may not be put back in place, so please bear this in mind before adding these features to your verge – with the same applying to sprinklers, pipes or other reticulation equipment.

Here is some more information, from Clause 2.12 of the City’s ‘Activities on Thoroughfares and Trading in Thoroughfares and Public Places Local Law’ :

Where the local government or an authority empowered to do so under a written law disturbs a verge, the local government or the authority –
(a) is not liable to compensate any person for that disturbance;
(b) may backfill with sand, if necessary, any garden or lawn; and
(c) is not liable to replace or restore any –

You are responsible for maintaining your verge

The City is responsible for the planting, removal and maintenance of all street trees. If you own a property within the City, you are responsible for maintaining the adjacent verge, including landscaping, lawns, verge gardens and other treatments.

Verges in town centres and along some major roads may be maintained by the City as part of streetscape maintenance. However, this is generally limited to mowing or mulching existing City managed garden beds.  

Please remember if you install any kind of verge treatment, or buy a property which has a verge treatment installed, this verge treatment must comply with the City’s local laws which have been passed by the Council “Activities on the Thoroughfares and Trading in Thoroughfares and Public Places”.