By IBP Paving. Published 9 October 2026.
Every driveway we pave in Perth ends at a crossover, and the crossover is the part that confuses people, because it is your driveway on somebody else's land. This guide covers what it is, who approves it, what a brick paved one must be made of, how far it stays from the street tree, and how the contribution works. The council facts are from the documents listed at the end, correct when we read them; confirm with your council before you build.
What a crossover is, and what it is not
Between the road and your front boundary is the verge, council land within the road reserve. The crossover, or vehicle crossing, is the hard surface across that verge that gets a car from the road to your driveway. Inside the boundary it is a driveway and it is yours; on the verge the council sets the rules. You pay to build it and the council will not pay to fix it later: Wanneroo accepts no liability for paving bricks in the road reserve damaged by later works, and Bayswater will cut through existing crossovers, decorative ones included, to build a footpath.
In the Cities of Wanneroo, Joondalup, Swan, Stirling and Bayswater a residential crossover may be brick paved in clay or concrete pavers instead of grey concrete. Joondalup requires the apron and kerb in grey pre mix concrete, Bayswater requires footpaths in plain grey concrete, and no council permits asphalt, gravel, crushed brick or loose stone on a residential crossover.
Get approval before you build
This is the step people skip, and it is the one that costs the contribution.
| Council | What is required |
|---|---|
| City of Wanneroo | Built to specification WD11 and the brick paved crossover sheet, executed to the direction of the City. A Street and Verge Bond Permit is paid with the building permit; a bond equal to a standard concrete crossover may be required. |
| City of Joondalup | No application to modify an existing crossover. Driveway and crossover must meet the R Codes, the Residential Development Local Planning Policy and the Crossover Guidelines, or a development application is needed. Non standard designs get a 10 to 15 working day compliance check. |
| City of Swan | Location and size assessed with the building licence; a second crossover needs its own application. The City recommends not preparing building plans until the location is approved. |
| City of Stirling | A Crossover Installation Application must be approved before a crossover is constructed or modified. Approval lasts two years; generally one crossover per street frontage. |
| City of Bayswater | Approval before starting works, built to the City's Crossover Application Booklet. In Character Protection Areas a single crossover is limited to 3.0 m and a double to 4.8 m. |
The 50 per cent contribution
The Local Government (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 1996 oblige a council to bear 50 per cent of the cost, as estimated by the local government, of a standard crossing. Three words carry the weight. "Standard" means the council's basic crossover, which Stirling defines as 3.0 m wide in grey pre mixed concrete. "As estimated by the local government" means the council's own figure for that standard crossing, not your invoice. And it is a contribution to the first crossing only. So a 6 m wide brick paved crossover attracts the same contribution as a plain 3 m concrete one, and the owner pays the difference.
First crossover only, built to the council's specification, claimed inside the window with proof of payment. Miss any of the three and the contribution is gone. Joondalup, Stirling and Bayswater also pay it for replacing an old bitumen crossover in concrete or brick; Joondalup pays nothing for a second crossover on the same lot.
- City of Joondalup: one off $375, claimed within six months of construction with an invoice or delivery docket.
- City of Swan: $400 for approved residential or rural, $550 for commercial or industrial, one contribution per crossover, on the Crossover Contribution Form.
- City of Stirling: 50 per cent of the cost of a standard 3 m wide grey concrete crossover, received within 12 months of completion.
- City of Wanneroo: Council may contribute to a first vehicle crossing on a written application within six months of construction with proof of payment. The amount is not in the documents we have been able to read.
- City of Bayswater: a subsidy per the City's Fees and Charges Schedule for one standard crossover per lot, including a bitumen crossover rebuilt in concrete or brick.
We build to the drawing and hand over the invoice, delivery docket and photos the claim needs. What the crossover adds to a driveway budget, with worked examples, is in driveway paving cost in Perth.
What a brick paved crossover must be made of
The common thread is 60 mm heavy duty pavers on a thin sand bed over a compacted limestone or rock base, with proper edge restraints and new materials only.
- Wanneroo: minimum 60 mm heavy duty pavers, 20 to 40 mm sand bed, minimum 100 mm crushed limestone or rock sub base, edge restraints 250 mm wide and at least 80 mm deep, pattern to Standard Drawing TS 07-8, new materials only.
- Swan: concrete or clay solid pavers 60 to 76 mm thick, 25 mm sand bedding, 150 mm limestone or rock sub base, a concrete beam between the road surface and the paving, new materials only.
- Stirling: clay pavers must be heavy duty bricks suitable for commercial traffic with a manufacturer's guarantee of at least 10 years, laid with 2 to 4 mm gaps, 30 mm above the road at the gutter, contrasting with the verge treatment.
- Joondalup: segmented or square clay or concrete pavers, with the apron and kerb in grey pre mix concrete.
Width is 3.0 to 6.0 m at the property line in all four, and in Swan no more than 40 per cent of the frontage. The verge rises 2 per cent from kerb to boundary. Corner setbacks are 7.5 m from the intersection of property lines in Wanneroo, 6.0 m from the kerb tangent point in Joondalup and 6 m from the corner in Swan. The footpath stays in every case. The pattern is up to you, and herringbone is what the drawings and the wheel loads both favour.
Street tree clearances
Councils will not remove a street tree for a crossover that could go elsewhere. Wanneroo's City Tree Policy says a tree in the way of a non essential crossover is not sufficient reason for removal, Joondalup's guidelines say the same, and Swan will not remove a tree just because it is close to a crossover unless there is no alternative.
| Council | Setback |
|---|---|
| City of Wanneroo | 1.5 m from a City tree; a 0.5 m reduction may be considered. Within 1.0 m triggers an assessment of the tree. |
| City of Joondalup | 1 to 1.5 m offset, more for a large tree; 1 m clearance from the trunk to any hardstand. |
| City of Swan | 3.5 m clear distance from any tree on the verge. |
| City of Stirling | By trunk diameter at breast height: up to 200 mm, 1 m; 201 to 400 mm, 2 m; 401 to 600 mm, 3 m; over 600 mm, 4 m. |
Verge paving beside the crossover is covered on our landscaping page.
The mistakes that cost people the contribution
- Building first and asking later. The contribution is conditional on compliance.
- Removing the footpath. Not permitted in Wanneroo, Joondalup or Swan for a residential crossover.
- Second hand pavers. Wanneroo and Swan require new materials. Recycled clay can go on the driveway inside the lot, not on the crossover.
- Claiming late. Six months in Wanneroo and Joondalup, 12 in Stirling. Keep the invoice and delivery docket.
- Expecting a second contribution. One per lot.
- Draining over it. Swan states that no stormwater is to be discharged over the crossover or verge onto the road. Driveway runoff goes to your own drain and soakwell; see our Wanneroo soakwell requirements page and its siblings.
- Ignoring estate covenants. Malvern Springs Hillside at Ellenbrook, for example, requires crossovers before occupancy in muted tones, not plain grey concrete.
A crossover is a small piece of paving with a lot of paperwork attached, and the one part of a driveway a council can order rebuilt at your cost. We build it to the council drawing as part of every Perth driveway paving job, with the documents for the claim. Call 0449 020 336 or use the quote form.
Sources: City of Wanneroo, Crossover Brick Paved Residential information sheet, specification WD11 and City Tree Policy; City of Joondalup, Crossover Guidelines; City of Swan, crossover specification and Tree Planting Guidelines; City of Stirling, Crossover Policy and Crossover Guidelines; City of Bayswater, Crossovers Policy; Local Government (Uniform Local Provisions) Regulations 1996.
