City of Cockburn, PO Box 1215, Bibra Lake DC, Western Australia, 6965
Telephone: (08) 9411 3444

Verge Maintenance

The City of Cockburn relies on each person maintaining the verge at the front or side of their property. Verge maintenance by Council is limited to pruning of street trees and slashing grass once a year, on request, to prevent a fire hazard. Any further improvement is by the property owner and adds to the aesthetics of the property.

It is not possible for Council to control weed growth by mechanical means, so where they become a problem weeds along footpaths and kerbs are sprayed. The chemical used is glyshophate, which is a non-residual that kills the weed by absorption through the leaves and transferring to the root system. This spray retails as "Zero" in the shops.

Every endeavor is made not to spray verges that are well maintained, but sometimes this inadvertently happens. If you wish, your well-maintained verge can be added to a list of properties not to be sprayed.

Policy relating to Verge Treatment

The City of Cockburn recognises that road reserves form a significant proportion of public open space available to ratepayers for improving their street scape and property value. Council has therefore formulated a policy covering street lawns and gardens to assist ratepayers in undertaking such works.

What you can do :

  1. Gardens
  2. Reticulation
  3. Minor Landscaping
  4. Additional Crossover (Requires approval)
  5. Widening of existing Crossover (Requires approval)

Ratepayers may, upon written application to the Chief Executive Officer, be given approval to install the above verge treatments, providing they are in accordance with Council's by-laws and conditions and are supported by a separate sketch/plan of their proposed treatment (where appropriate).

Note: Unreticulated grassed verges do not require the Chief Executive Officer's approval.

The following general conditions apply for installation of treatments within a road reserve:

  • The applicant accepts responsibility for the removal or relocation of planting or reticulation if required by any Public Authority or Council.
  • The general level and grade of the verge is to remain unaltered.
  • The plants are to be kept clear of the roadway and any footpath. If there is no footpath, a clear distance of 2 metres from the back of the kerb is to be maintained to allow for the unrestricted passage of pedestrians.
  • The treatment is not to create any undue hazard to road users or pedestrians.
  • No plants taller than 75cm in height are to be planted within 10m of a road junction or intersection, or in any location where they may obstruct visibility for road users or vehicles exiting from a crossover.
  • The ratepayer shall not plant a tree in any part of a street without the prior written consent of the Council, stating the variety and the location of the tree.
  • Reticulation sprinklers shall not be directed onto the footpath or road, and watering is to be restricted to times where any inconvenience to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists is minimised.
  • The ratepayer shall maintain the treatment so as not to cause a hazard.
  • Should the verge treatment become hazardous, the ratepayer shall agree to remove the treatment at his/her expense, e.g. remove plants restricting sight distances.
  • The ratepayer agrees to indemnify Council against all claims that may arise as a result of the treatment.
  • Any stormwater flowing from the proposed treatment must be retained on the verge and can not be permitted to flow from paved areas onto the road.
  • The verge shall not be used as a car park for any vehicle including cars, trucks, boats, caravans etc.