Guide to Skip Bin Permits & Placement

Hiring a skip bin is a great way to save yourself some space, prevent mess and reduce cleanup time during a home or business project. The point of a skip bin is to make your life easier. However, violating skip bin permit requirements or placing it in the wrong location can get you into trouble with local councils and law enforcement. The last thing you want during a home renovation project is to find out that you have to pay a fine for putting your skip bin in the wrong spot or for forgetting to apply for a permit that you may have required. That’s why we’ve created this simple guide to help you navigate the skip bin placement and permit process. 

Skip Bin Placement 

When it comes to the optimal location for your skip bin, there are just four things you need to keep in mind: hazards, access, damage and permits. 

Hazards 

Before deciding on the location for your skip, ensure that there are no clear hazards around that could cause problems when trying to access the skip bin. Potential hazards include overhead tree branches, powerlines, nearby traffic, pedestrians or neighbours. If any of these hazards are overhanging or obstructing your access to the skip, keep looking! 

Access 

There are two important elements of skip access that you need to consider before your skip is placed: the truck’s accessibility to the site and your accessibility to the skip. If the truck can’t drop the skip off in your chosen location then it will never get there. If you can’t access the spot, it’ll never get filled. So make sure you consider things that can prevent access like traffic, trees or powerlines. 

Damage 

You don’t want your skip bin to destroy your garden or property, so make sure you consider how to minimise the chances of any incidental damage that could occur. We recommend placing the skip on top of some wooden planks to reduce the damage to your garden when filling and moving the skip. 

Permits 

The final element to consider when placing your skip is whether you have legal permission to do so. Generally speaking you can place a skip on private property without a permit, and will require a permit from the local council to place it on public property. Continue to the next section for more information.

Skip Bin Permit 

We’ve created this guide to skip bin permits to remove any confusion or uncertainty from the permit process. Once you’ve made sure that you are following all of your local laws when hiring a skip bin, then you can focus on the work that matters to you. While we give a run down of permit requirements for different states, it should be noted that these laws are created and enforced by local councils. This means that the specific details of the applications and requirements may not be identical across the state. As such, we recommend using this guide as a helpful starting point. To ensure that you are abiding by the law, we encourage you to contact your local council to confirm that your skip bin is not violating any local regulations. 

New South Wales 

Across the state of New South Wales, you can put a skip bin on your private property without the need of a permit from your local council. However, if you wish to place the skip on a public piece of land, such as the street or a nature strip, then you will need to apply for a permit in order to do so legally. In NSW it is recommended that you speak with your skip bin operator as some areas of the state allow them to purchase an annual permit that negates the need for the customer to purchase one. 

Victoria 

Victorian customers are generally permitted to place a skip bin on their private property without the need of a permit. However, some councils will require the skip bin operator to have a licence or permit to operate in that municipality. You should therefore check with your operator that they are permitted to work in your council. If you wish to place the bin on public land you will need to apply for permission from your council. 

Queensland 

Residents of Queensland can place bins on their private property without the permission of their local council. If they wish to place a bin on public property things get more complicated. Some municipalities will allow you to do so if you have applied for a permit from the council, while others strictly prohibit the placement of skips on public land. Ensure that you check with your skip bin operator in QLD before you try to place a skip on public land. 

Western Australia 

Across Western Australia, and specifically in Perth, you will generally require a permit from the local council if you wish to place a skip bin on private or public land. 

Tasmania 

In Tasmania it is generally permissible to hire and place a skip bin on your private property without a permit from the local council. A permit from the council is required whenever a skip is to be placed on public property.

Northern Territory 

Northern Territory councils normally allow residents to place a skip bin on private property without applying for a permit. A permit is almost always required if the skip is to be located on public land. 

Australian Capital Territory 

You must apply for a permit if you plan to place a skip bin on ACT Government land. For private areas you ordinarily won’t need to apply for a permit, however, in the ACT it is highly recommended that you check with your skip bin operator about permit requirements prior to the date of your skip hire. 

Get in touch 

If you’re unsure about anything covered in this guide, or you would like to speak with a skip specialist about our range of options, get in touch with us today on 131 546. Our call centre is open for enquiries 7 days a week. Alternatively, you can request a free quote 24/7 with our online request a quote tool.