An easement is an area of land on your property that councils and other authorities are allowed to access.
Learn how to find easements on your property.
Landscaping and building
As a property owner you need to keep easements on your land clear and accessible.
If you are developing your property and concerned that your works may impact an easement, submit a building over easement inquiry to find out what's possible.
We can permanently remove any landscaping or building that is blocking access to an easement.
Trees and plants
We recommend that you do not plant over or near easements.
We can permanently remove trees or plants that are blocking maintenance workers from accessing an easement.
You can be charged for cleaning and repairs when trees or plants have damaged or blocked a council drain.
This is set out in:
- Section 148 of the Water Act 1989
- Section 44 of our Amenity Local Law.
Download our Amenity Local Law
Access pits
Keep access pits (manholes) visible. There needs to be at least 1 m of clear space around the lid.
Contact us and we will give you a free pit sign to attach to your fence. This helps our staff find access pits more easily.
To get a sign either:
- contact us at [email protected] or on (03) 9278 4444
- visit the Boroondara Recycling and Waste Centre.
Access to easements
If we need to access an easement on your property, we'll call you to organise an appointment.
If we can't contact you over the phone, a council officer will leave a calling card at your property. You will need to contact us to book an appointment.
When our officers visit your property you can identify them by their uniform and ID card.
Emergency access
In emergency situations we'll try to contact you before entering your property.
If we can't contact you we'll enter your property to do the emergency work.
This can happen during a flood or if infrastructure has been damaged.