Works in the road reserve

In New South Wales any works in the road reserve require consent from the road authority before the works can commence.

Under Section 138 of the NSW Roads Act (1993), Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and Local Government are the road authorities of the classified road reserve and have the responsibility to review and consent to the proposed work.

To find out whether your proposed works are in the road reserve of a classified road, please review the Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads and the Classified Roads map.

For all unclassified roads and many classified roads Local Government is the consenting authority with TfNSW giving concurrence or consent on classified roads.

Contact the Local Government office in the area to obtain consent for your work in the road reserve.

Contact the TfNSW office in your area to obtain concurrence for your work in the road reserve of a classified road.

Review the Transport for NSW regional map (PDF, 3.13 MB) for contact details and locations of the TfNSW regional offices.

Application process

To facilitate prompt processing of your application please submit, as a minimum, the following information to your Local Government Office and the TfNSW office in your region via the email addresses provided below:

  • design or sketch – include legend and notes where required
  • location of the works - include name of road and nearest cross street
  • nature of the works – include a detailed description of the proposed works and methods
  • work materials – include details of materials to be used during the construction
  • date of works – include proposed start and end dates of your works
  • contact details – include a contact for the works if further details are required for assessment.

As part of your work proposal please consider:

  • overhead clearances
  • clear zone width for non-frangible objects
  • restricted placement of utilities within Motorway boundaries
  • appropriate placement of utilities away from road
  • minimum depths of utilities
  • spacing between adjacent utilities
  • road safety issues where applicable
  • drainage issues where applicable.

Once your proposal is received by the appropriate regional team, please allow 10-15 working days for reviewing.

We may request further information depending on the complexity of your application and impacts to state road infrastructure &/or road safety issues.

Note: Should your works impact traffic flow on a state road or be within 100m of traffic lights, you will also require a Road Occupancy Licence (ROL).

Apply for a Road Occupancy Licence.

Contact us

For any questions regarding works in the road reserve please contact us or send your enquiry to the email in your region below.

Phone number for all regions: 13 22 13