The crossover is the strip of paving between your property boundary and the road kerb. It sits on council land, it needs approval before work starts, and the specification changes at the council boundary — the City of Stirling and the City of Wanneroo do not even agree on how close it can sit to your neighbour’s. This guide sets out both, with the subsidy, the bond and the verge rule. Well Laid Paving Perth reads the current document for your suburb before quoting brick driveway paving in Perth.
What is a crossover, and whose land is it on?
A crossover is the vehicle crossing between the road kerb and your front boundary. The ground under it is not yours — it is road reserve managed by your local council, which is why you cannot simply pave it. Your driveway begins where the crossover ends, at the boundary line, and that part is on your land.
Responsibility does not follow ownership: the City of Stirling’s crossover guidelines (revision 6 January 2023) put the application, the construction and the cost on the property owner. In practice the two halves are one job, because the levels must run from the garage to the kerb without a step.
Do I need council approval to pave my driveway in Perth?
You need approval for the crossover. The City of Stirling’s crossover guidelines (revision 6 January 2023) require a permit before works, state that retrospective approval is not guaranteed, and warn that a non-compliant crossover may have to be removed. Get the approval in writing first, then book the paving — not the other way round.
What you lay inside your own boundary is not covered by either council’s crossover document. That is not the same as no approval needed — if the job changes levels, retaining or where stormwater goes, ask first.
How wide can a residential crossover be in Perth?
Between 3.0 and 6.0 metres in both councils checked here. The City of Stirling’s crossover guidelines (revision 6 January 2023) allow 3.0–6.0 m for a single residential crossover excluding splays, 3.0 m for a secondary crossover, and 3.0–7.5 m shared for a duplex. The City of Wanneroo’s brick paved residential crossover sheet (correct as of July 2025) sets the same 3.0–6.0 m range at the property line.
Two councils agreeing is not a reason to assume a third does. Check your own before ordering pavers: a crossover built to the wrong figure is a crossover you rebuild.
Crossover requirements compared: Stirling and Wanneroo
Every row is read off that council’s own current documents — Stirling’s crossover guidelines and its Technical specifications for residential brick paved crossover, both revised 6 January 2023, and Wanneroo’s Crossover: Brick Paved – Residential sheet, correct as of July 2025. Where a cell says a document does not address something, that means exactly that.
| Requirement | City of Stirling | City of Wanneroo |
|---|---|---|
| Single residential width | 3.0–6.0 m, excluding splays | 3.0–6.0 m at the property line |
| Secondary crossover | 3.0 m | Not addressed in this sheet |
| Duplex / multi-residential | 3.0–7.5 m shared | Not addressed in this sheet |
| Clearance to adjoining boundary | No closer than 0.5 m | Min. 1.0 m from the common boundary; wings may overlap |
| Clearance at a street corner | Not permitted within the lot truncation area | Not closer than 7.5 m to the intersection of property lines |
| Angle to the kerb line | Right angles; splays reviewed at approval above 4 m width | 90° |
| Paving units | Clay to AS/NZS 4455 and AS/NZS 4456, heavy duty and rated for commercial traffic; concrete to CMAA MA20 | Minimum 60 mm heavy duty rectangular or square unit |
| Asphalt | Not permitted for residential crossovers | Not addressed; sheet covers brick paving |
| Sub-base | 100 mm base course of crushed limestone or road base | Minimum 100 mm crushed limestone or rock base |
| Bedding sand | 30 mm compacted, through a 4.75 mm sieve | 20–40 mm pre-compacted, well graded through a 5 mm sieve; bricklayer’s and single-sized dune sands not suitable |
| Edge restraint | 25 MPa concrete, no cold joints | 250 mm wide, minimum 80 mm deep, full perimeter |
| Levels | 30 mm above the road at the gutter; 125–150 mm higher at 2050 mm from the pavement edge | Positive 2% from top of kerb to boundary (20 mm per 1.0 m) |
| Permit | Required before works; retrospective approval not guaranteed | Street and Verge Bond Permit at building permit stage |
| Council contribution | Contributes to a first concrete or brick paved crossover, or replacing a bitumen one; claim within 12 months | May contribute to a first crossover; apply in writing within 6 months, with proof of payment |
| Spoil | Owner removes all spoil offsite | Surplus material is the owner’s to remove |
How far must a crossover be from a boundary or a street corner?
The two councils split here, which is the clearest proof that Perth crossover rules are not one rule. Stirling (revision 6 January 2023) requires a residential crossover to sit no closer than 0.5 m to the adjoining boundary, and 1.5 m for non-residential. Wanneroo (July 2025) requires adjoining crossings to each sit at least 1.0 m from the common boundary, though wings may overlap.
Corners differ again. Wanneroo keeps a crossover at least 7.5 m from the intersection of property lines; Stirling rules them out inside the lot truncation area, refers to AS 2890.1 for geometry, and requires Main Roads WA approval near traffic lights.
Can I use asphalt for a residential crossover in Perth?
Not in the City of Stirling. Its crossover guidelines (revision 6 January 2023) list asphalt as not permitted for residential crossovers, and allow plain grey pre-mix concrete to AS 1379, colour-incorporated concrete, clay or concrete pavers rated for heavy duty vehicular traffic, and flagstone, formstone or urbanstone — with liquid limestone and exposed aggregate subject to AS 1379.
It is also why an old bitumen crossover in Stirling is worth replacing rather than patching: the City contributes towards replacing one. Brick, concrete and liquid limestone compared.
What paver rating and thickness does a crossover need?
Heavier than the driveway behind it. The City of Wanneroo’s sheet (correct as of July 2025) requires a minimum 60 mm heavy duty rectangular or square paving unit on a residential crossover. Stirling (revision 6 January 2023) requires clay units conforming to AS/NZS 4455 and AS/NZS 4456, heavy duty and rated for commercial traffic, with concrete units to the Concrete Masonry Association of Australia’s MA20 specification.
For contrast, the Concrete Masonry Association of Australia’s Guide to Specifying (MA57, December 2010) sets 40 mm as the minimum for a residential driveway carrying light vehicles. The crossover is the stricter of the two, so Well Laid Paving Perth lays 60 mm across the whole job: how we build a driveway that stays flat.
What angle and what levels must the crossover meet the kerb at?
Square to the kerb in both councils: Wanneroo (July 2025) specifies 90°, and Stirling (revision 6 January 2023) specifies right angles, reviewing splays as part of the approval once the width exceeds 4 m. Levels are then set from the road, not from your garage — Wanneroo requires a positive 2% grade from the top of the kerb to the boundary, 20 mm of rise per metre.
Stirling may also require a trench grate or soakwells to stop water entering the property, and specifies that a trench grate must sit inside the boundary — decided at approval, not after the pavers are down.
Will the council pay part of the cost of my first crossover?
Both councils checked here contribute, and both have a deadline you can miss. The City of Stirling contributes towards the first concrete or brick paved crossover, or replacement of an existing bitumen crossover, provided it is built to the City’s requirements — and the subsidy must be applied for within twelve months of completion (City of Stirling, checked August 2026).
The City of Wanneroo’s July 2025 sheet says the Council may contribute towards a first crossover, and requires the claim in writing within six months of construction with proof of payment. Two adjoining councils, two deadlines, both counted from a date nobody writes down.
Permit fees, bonds, and what sits outside a paving quote
Council charges are not part of a paving quote. The City of Wanneroo’s July 2025 sheet requires a Street and Verge Bond Permit at building permit stage, carrying a non-refundable administration fee, plus an additional bond on construction projects valued over $20,000 — protection for the kerb, footpath and verge, refundable if they survive the build.
Fees are set by each council and change annually, so read the current schedule of fees and charges rather than a figure quoted on a blog, including this one. Well Laid Paving Perth prices the paving; the permit and the bond stay with the owner.
What happens if you build a crossover without a permit?
You risk paying for it twice. The City of Stirling’s crossover guidelines (revision 6 January 2023) state that retrospective approval is not guaranteed and that non-compliant crossovers may have to be removed. A crossover 300 mm too wide, or sitting 200 mm too close to the boundary, is not a paperwork problem — it is a demolition and a rebuild.
The second cost is the contribution: Stirling’s subsidy is conditional on the crossover being built to the City’s requirements, so an unapproved one forfeits money that was there for the asking.
Who removes the spoil?
The property owner, in both councils. Stirling (revision 6 January 2023) makes the owner responsible for taking all spoil offsite, and Wanneroo (July 2025) makes surplus material the owner’s to remove. Leaving the old crossover stacked on the verge is not the end of the job, and neither council treats it as theirs to collect.
On a Well Laid Paving Perth quote, excavation, removal and tipping is a priced line rather than something absorbed into a rate.
How much of your verge can you actually pave?
In the City of Stirling, a maximum of one third of it. The City’s verge treatment policy limits hardstand verge treatments — which explicitly include paving, synthetic turf and in-situ concrete — to no more than one third of the verge area, requires them to sit at least 2 metres from a street tree, and makes planting a street tree a condition where hardstand is placed (City of Stirling, checked August 2026).
Approval is separate from the crossover permit: a verge treatment application must be approved before paving, turf or concrete goes down. It catches two jobs in particular — paving the whole verge for extra parking, and laying synthetic turf on it because it looks tidy. Both count as hardstand, and either can be required to come up.
Get a quote for your driveway and crossover
Marc Radaic measures and quotes driveways and crossovers across the Perth metro area, Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm, and reads the current specification for your council before pricing. Call 0448 440 229 or get a free driveway quote. What the job involves: driveway paving in Perth.