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Driveway technical standards

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Find out what technical standards and regulations your residential or commercial driveway must meet.

Paddington streetscape showing houses and on-street parking.

Driveway regulations in Brisbane

All residential and commercial driveways must comply with specific technical standards. 

You must apply for a permit to build, modify or repair a driveway before you start building works. This will ensure your driveway meets the technical standards.

For your driveway to be functional and safe, it must be:

  • within permitted gradients
  • the same level as the verge or any footpath 
  • clear of stormwater pits and street trees
  • constructed in accordance with Council’s technical standards
  • made from a solid, non-slip material such as concrete, asphalt or pavers. You can’t use materials such as tiles, gravel and bluestone.

Looking for something else

Apply for a driveway permit

Residential projects

Footpath works and permits

Driveway technical standards

Your driveway must comply with technical standards for permit approval.

Gradients

Within the property boundary, it must not exceed the maximum gradient level of 1:4.

Outside the property boundary, it must not exceed the maximum gradient level of 1:6. 

The rate of change in a driveway gradient is a maximum of 1:12 slope for a minimum length of one metre. 

  1. To find out the maximum fall per metre, select your proposed grade from the list.
  2. Panel: Result

For more information on recommended driveway gradients, see Brisbane Standard Drawings (BSD) BSD-2024 and BSD-2025.

Brisbane Standard Drawings

Brisbane Standard Drawings (BSD) show the recommended gradients for building a driveway, driveway load requirements and materials.

Load and materials

Driveways must also meet requirements relating to loads and materials.

Clay or concrete pavers

  • The clay or concrete pavers must be at least 40 mm-thick.
  • The compacted sub-base must be at least 100 mm-thick.
  • The pavers must be concreted to the base.
Unit complex at Halford Street, Newstead. Shows driveway to underground car park.

Asphalt

  • Permitted in non-urban areas only.
  • There must be at least 50 mm-thick compacted road base under the asphalt cover.
  • The asphalt cover must be at least 100 mm-thick.
Unit complex at Halford Street, Newstead. Shows driveway to underground car park.

Concrete surfaces

  • The N25 strength must be in accordance with Australian Standards AS1379 and AS3600.
  • Expansion joints must be 10 mm-thick, full-depth, closed-cell, cross-linked polyethylene foam (85-150 kg/m³).
  • The slab must be 125 mm-thick.
  • Preferred surface finishes: stencilled concrete or broom finished concrete.
Unit complex at Halford Street, Newstead. Shows driveway to underground car park.

Definitions of driveway terms

Learn more about driveways, footpaths and footways or verges.

Box culvert

A depression or ditch to help water drainage beside or under a road. Can also mean a type of pipe, often concrete or corrugated steel, which may be partially or entirely buried. Box culverts are available either as an inverted U on a concrete base foundation (crown type) or as a U-shaped trough with a lid (invert type). 

Commercial driveway

A commercial driveway provides car access for premises other than a single detached house.

Concrete invert to a table drain

An invert crossing from the road edge at the start of a table drain system.

Footpath

The paved area intended for pedestrians.

Grid crossing

A ramp in the kerb and channel to lift the vehicle higher to stop it scraping when entering or exiting the property. Grid crossings are only permitted in special circumstances as they can cause water run off into properties.

Invert crossing

A cut out of the kerb line to ensure greater access across the footway into the property. The height of the invert entry point depends on the type of kerb and channel outside the property.

Major intersection

A major intersection is located on a major road. Major roads include motorways, arterial, suburban or district access routes, a road controlled by Transport and Main Roads (TMR) or a road with a national, state or metropolitan route number.

Minor intersection

A minor intersection is located on a minor road. A minor road is any public road not classified as a major road. These include neighbourhood, local and industrial access roads.

Non-standard grid crossing

Where the height of the existing kerb is raised to allow vehicle access into a property to alleviate scraping. This could be done due to the height of crown in centre of road or depth of channel.

For more information see Brisbane Standard Drawing (BSD) BSD-2023.

Pipe crossing

A driveway that goes over an open drainage pipe. Pipe crossings are common in rural areas.

Residential driveway

A residential driveway provides vehicle access for a single detached house.

Swale

An open drainage system designed to manage water run off from the street or footway area. Driveway gradients must match the levels of the swale to prevent flooding of neighbouring properties.

Frequently asked questions

Driveways can't exceed the maximum gradient level of 1:4 inside the property boundary and 1:6 outside the property boundary.

Learn more about driveway gradients.

A driveway can’t be less than 10 metres from a minor intersection or 20 metres from a major intersection.

Find out more about driveway requirements.

A single detached house in Brisbane can have one driveway.

Learn more about residential driveway requirements.