Nature Strips Maintenance

Overgrown Grass

A nature strip is the area between a road and the adjoining property. Overgrown grass on nature strips can look untidy, provide a haven for vermin, and obstruct footpaths. Council’s Community Amenity Local Law 2023 requires owners and occupiers of property to maintain the grass on the nature strip/s adjoining their property to be less than 30cms high.

Where grass on a nature strip is longer than 30cms, Council’s Local Law Officer will contact the owner and/or occupier of the adjoining property to advise them of their obligation to maintain the nature strip, and ask them to cut the nature strip by a specified date. Enforcement action such as the issuing of an infringement may follow if the grass is not cut by the required date.

If you would like to report a nature strip that has grass over 30cm high, please go here or contact Council on 1300 023 411.

Please note: Residents are not required to maintain nature strip trees planted by Council or developers. It is an offence under Council’s Community Amenity Local Law 2023 to cut, remove or damage nature strip trees. Residents can request maintenance of a nature strip by contacting Council.

Nature Strip Beautification

Residents can make changed to the nature strip adjoining their property, as long as the changes are permitted in Council’s Nature Strip Beautification Policy.

Some of the allowed alterations are:

• Replacing grass with gravel or mulch less than 7mm in diameter;
• Planting shrubs or plants that are not spiky or otherwise dangerous, and do not grow larger than 50cm in height.
• Stepping pavers that are level with the ground.

It is an offence under the Community Amenity Local Law 2023 to alter a nature strip outside of what is permitted in the Nature Strip beautification Policy, and doing so may result in infringements being issued and/or costs incurred to reinstate the nature strip.

Placing rocks, stakes, or other items intended to prevent vehicles parking on nature strip is strictly prohibited and could be dangerous to drivers and pedestrians.