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Rainwater tank installation

We encourage home owners to install rainwater tanks, provided the installation meets safety and building regulations.

Collecting and using rainwater can:

  • reduce water bills
  • provide a supply of fresh drinking water
  • reduce pressure on local water catchments

For general information on rainwater tanks, please contact our Environmental Operations Team on 9401 0512.

Council permit requirements

Building permit

You only need a building permit to install a rainwater tank when undertaking other building work, for example:

  • adding or altering your dwelling
  • building a new dwelling

In such cases, the tank must be installed at least 500mm from the boundary.

If you are installing a water tank without undertaking other building work, there are no siting requirements or minimum distances from your title boundaries.

Planning permit

You may need a planning permit to install a rainwater tank when:

  • the tank is larger than 4,500 litres
  • installation requires the removal of native vegetation, excavation or earth filling
  • the property is within a Heritage or Public Acquisition Overlay

We encourage you to check your Certificate of Title, in case it includes any restrictions on installing a rainwater tank within your property.

For more information, contact Building Services on 9217 2259 and Established Areas Planning on
9217 2236.