Most people call the whole thing the driveway. Councils do not. The strip between the street kerb and your property boundary is normally a vehicle crossing, or crossover, and it sits on council land.
Everything behind the boundary is your driveway. The distinction is not pedantic — it decides who approves the work, whose standard it is built to, and who pays when something goes wrong.
Two sections, two sets of rules
| Vehicle crossing | Driveway | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Kerb to property boundary | Boundary to garage |
| Land | Council road reserve | Your property |
| Built to | Council standard drawing | Building approval conditions |
| Approval | Usually a council permit | Part of the building approval |
Arrangements vary between councils — this is the common pattern, not a rule. Check with yours.
You normally pay for both. Paying for the crossing does not make it yours, in the same way paying for a footpath repair outside your house does not.
Maintenance can also stay with you. The IPWEA standard drawing RS-050, published by councils including the City of Gold Coast, states plainly that maintenance of the crossings is the property owner's responsibility — for concrete sitting on council land. Check what your own council has adopted.
Why it matters for gradient
The crossing has its own profile requirements, set by the council's standard drawing, and they are not necessarily the same as the ones applying to your driveway.
That matters because the two have to meet. A crossing built to one grade and a driveway designed to another produces exactly the kind of abrupt change that grounds cars — and the join often lands right where a vehicle is already at its worst angle, entering from the road.
Designing the driveway without knowing the crossing's levels is guessing at half the profile.
What to ask your council
- Do I need a permit for the vehicle crossing, and is it separate from the building approval?
- Which standard drawing applies, and can I have a copy?
- What gradient and width does that drawing require?
- Who is responsible for maintaining it afterwards?
- Are there restrictions on where it can go — services, trees, kerb ramps, corner setbacks?
The practical version
Treat the crossing and the driveway as one continuous profile that happens to be governed by two documents. Get the council's standard drawing before the driveway is designed, not after it is poured.
For the requirements applying behind the boundary, see driveway gradients in Queensland.
Disclaimer
General information, not advice. Responsibility for vehicle crossings, and the standards they must meet, differ between local governments and can change. Nothing here describes any particular council's requirements. Confirm the position with the council for the property in question before undertaking work.
Create your next driveway profile with DrivewayIQ.
Start Free Trial