Permits for neighbourhood activities

Road event permits are available for neighbourhood activities such as community barbecues, social gatherings, street parties, kids play days, and other non-commercial events organised by nearby residents. 

Councils may allow a temporary road closure to facilitate such events, subject to a few common-sense rules such as ensuring the street to be closed is not on a bus route, is not near traffic signals, and does not block access to public transport.

Councils do not require any Transport approvals or referrals to issue road event permits (s.144 of the Roads Act 1993) or to temporarily close a road to facilitate such a permit (s.115 of the Roads Act 1993). 

As long as activities are held on unclassified (‘local’) roads, councils can determine where and when events are held, how neighbours are to be notified, and how traffic and closures can be safely managed. 

Transport’s Guide to Traffic and Transport Management for Special Events does not apply to road event permits for neighbourhood activities. For this reason, Transport recommends that councils develop a simple policy or checklist to consider issues such as: 

• Fees, bonds, insurance, liability, and indemnity requirements
• Duration and nature of events
• Consultation and notification of occupants of an affected street
• Consultation and notification of police, emergency services, and other stakeholders
• Notification of car share operators if a shared vehicle is based in the street 
• Access arrangements or restrictions during the event, including for emergency services
• Implementation and removal of closures, and display of supervisor contact details

Residents wishing to organise an event should start by contacting their local council.

Definition of a neighbourhood activity

There are a few key criteria that define a neighbourhood activity:

• A non-commercial event, including a local gathering or social activity, for which traffic may be regulated by temporary road closure
• The residential address of the applicant for the road event permit is on or near the road on which the event will be conducted 
• The subject road must be unclassified
• The event must not:
  • occur on a road on which bus services or light rail services operate
  • result in restricted access to a railway station or a light rail station
  • occur within 60m of a traffic lights on a road controlled by those lights
  • be subject to authorisation under Part 4 of the Summary Offences Act 1988

Clause 79 of the Roads Regulation 2018 provides the legal definition in full. If a proposed event does not meet the definition (for example, if it is a commercial event or a protest gathering), it is not eligible for a road event permit for neighbourhood activities. The activity or event may still be permissible but will be subject to alternative review and approval processes of council and/or Transport.