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Road closure permits

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Apply for a temporary road closure permit for activities, special events or construction work on Council roads.

Mulcher operating in a closed road lane marked by orange witches hats.

Closing a Council road

If you’re planning an activity that involves closing some or all of a Council road, you need to apply for a temporary road closure certificate of assessment from Council.

If your application is approved, you must then apply for a permit from the Queensland Police Service.

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Note

Any activity that impacts the flow of traffic needs a permit, even if it’s not happening on the road itself.

Looking for something else

Roadworks and closures

Event and festival permits

Footpath works and permits

1. Determine which type of permit you need

Find out which type of permit you need for your partial or complete road closure.

Before you start

Here are some useful things to know before you submit your application.

Timings

  • You need to complete your application at least 20 full working days before the proposed date of the event. This applies to new applications and renewals.
  • The 20 full working days begin when we receive all the required information.
  • Temporary Road Closure Certificates are valid for a maximum of one month.
  • If you need your road closure for longer, you’ll need to apply to renew it and quote your current certificate number.

Special event road closures

Applications for road closures associated with special events must be submitted to Council a minimum of 6 weeks before the works are planned to occur.

Special events are events that: 

  • take place wholly or partly on a roadway
  • may require multiple agency involvement
  • require special traffic management arrangements
  • usually involve a large number of participants and/or spectators

Access

  • Make sure that businesses, residents, cyclists and pedestrians can access the area during closures. If this isn’t possible, you’ll need to tell us what alternative arrangements you’ll make as part of your application.
  • If your application isn’t fully completed, it’ll take longer to process.
  • You may also need further approvals if you intend to establish a work zone, use a crane or put barricades on footpaths.

Other approvals

  • If your application is related to closures associated with a development application (DA), the DA approval reference number must be included in the application.
  • If your activity includes excavation work on Council property or impacts a footpath, you may need Council approval. To apply for approval, you must complete an Application/Notice to work on Council property form.
  • If your road closure application is for construction works outside of the hours of 6.30am–6pm, you must have Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EPA) approval before you apply. Call Council on 07 3403 8888 and ask to speak with the Development Assessment team for your region.

Types of permit

View details of the different types of road closure permits before you apply.

Temporary Lane/Road Closure Assessments include any activity on, across or over roads (including those with a footpath or parking lane) or any off-road activities that will affect traffic flow.

Some examples include:

  • road maintenance such as resurfacing or line-marking
  • lane closures around a building site
  • moving of cranes and other equipment in or out of a building site
  • placing a barricade on the road
  • grass cutting along the median strip, requiring the road shoulder or a lane to be closed
  • lane closure to trim trees
  • hanging a banner over the road
  • markets
  • special events such as marathons, fun runs, cycling events and parades.

To get this type of permit, you need to provide information on your proposed activity for assessment.

A construction works zone is a permit to occupy a defined length of kerbside adjacent to a construction site, for the purposes of loading and unloading goods to the site.

A construction works zone is marked by Council installed signage with the relevant hours it is applicable, and is not for the purposes of general parking.

If your temporary road closure application is for a major event, performance or market where roads may be affected, you may also need to apply for an event permit.  

2. Prepare your documents

Before completing your temporary road closure application form, it’s helpful to have these documents ready.

  • Traffic management plan for your proposed temporary road/lane closure (required)

  • Traffic guidance scheme (required)

  • Copy of your development assessment approval (if applicable).

For more information on traffic management plans and traffic guidance schemes, visit the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

  • Map showing where your proposed stalls/structures will be on the road

  • Certificate of Currency for Public Liability Insurance for at least $20 million indemnifying Council for all claims for personal injury and damage to property arising out of the event

  • List of all roads in the order they’ll be used (for events such as a fun run, cycle event or procession).

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Note

You may be asked to supply more information during the assessment of your application, such as a pedestrian management plan.

3. Understand the fees

The application fee for a temporary lane/road closure application is $312.90 (excluding GST). This fee is non-refundable.

Construction work zones are split into 4 fee types:

  • assessment fee
  • fee for installation and removal of construction work zone
  • monthly charge each lineal metre of kerb length for full length from 6.30am–6.30pm Monday to Saturday
  • monthly charge each lineal metre of kerb length for full length from 6.30pm–6.30am Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday.

Find full fees for construction work zones in the Schedule of Fees and Charges. 

Additional costs

Once we’ve reviewed your application, we’ll let you know if there are additional costs to pay.

Additional costs may include:

  • installation/amendment or removal of parking signs
  • closure of any metered parking space on days when the meter would normally operate
  • administration or project management fees associated with metered parking space closure.

When you submit an application, you agree to pay all the costs associated with the paid parking bays during that time as part of the permit approval conditions. 

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Note

You’ll receive an invoice within 10 days of the road or lane closure start date. You need to pay within 30 days of the date on your invoice.

4. Apply for the assessment or permit

You can apply online for a Temporary Lane/Road Closure Assessment or a Permit to Occupy Roads.  

Apply for a road closure

5. After approval: Contact Queensland Police Service

If your application is approved, you’ll receive a certificate of assessment. 

Once you have your certificate, you’ll need to contact the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for their approval before the closure(s) begins.

Only QPS has the authority to close a road temporarily. QPS will only close a road if you have a certificate of assessment from Council.

You can contact:

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Note

  • If your closure impacts a Queensland Government road, you must also contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads on 07 3137 8363.
  • If your closure does not go ahead in line with the conditions of your approved certificate, you need to contact the Brisbane Metropolitan Traffic Management Centre (BMTMC) on 07 3292 6095.

Renewals

Renewal/extension applications are only valid for current certificates. If your previous certificate has expired, you must submit a new application, even for the same location.

Remember to provide information relevant to the stage of works detailed in the renewal application. This reduces time assessing impacts that are not currently applicable. Information that is the same as previous applications will be questioned, which will delay your assessment.

Frequently asked questions

You can apply for a road closure if you're planning an activity on, across or over roads that involve a footpath, parking lane or traffic lane that requires a partial or complete closure.

You can’t close a road without an approved permit. You must either apply for or renew a temporary permit a minimum of 20 working days before the date of your proposed event.

If you’ve got any questions about applying for a permit, call Council on 07 3403 8888.

You can apply to close a street for a party by completing an application for a temporary road closure. 

To legally organise an event on or across a road or footpath, you need to apply for a temporary lane or road closure assessment. This includes events that:

  • are wholly or partly conducted on a roadway
  • may require multiple agency involvement
  • need special traffic management
  • involve many people, including marathons, fun runs, cycling events, parades and marches.

You can find out what roads are closed in Brisbane using QLDTraffic.

For more information on current and planned closures to Council roads, check our roadworks and closures.

Apply for a road closure permit Apply now