Guide 6 of 6 · The conditions
What councils ask of a skip on the road
They ask how big it is, how it can be seen, how much footpath it leaves, where on the road it stands, how long it stays and what paperwork comes with it, and the councils ask for different things. Every condition below carries the name of the council whose page states it: none of them is a rule for all of Sydney.
General information from each council’s own page as read on 9 October 2026, not advice about your street. Your council is the place to check.
How big
Three councils give a size limit: Willoughby by volume, Bayside by length and width, and Hornsby by length, width and height.
| Council | Where | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Willoughby | Public road or footpath | No more than 6 cubic metres. |
| Bayside | Footway or grass verge | 7.0 m long, 2.5 m wide at most. |
| Bayside | Road | 7.0 m long, 1.7 m wide at most. |
| Hornsby | Road shoulders, footpaths, nature strips or malls | 6 m long, 1.5 to 2.5 m wide, 2.6 m high. |
Blacktown measures differently again. On its road reserve, a skip may take up as much space as a legally parked car.
How it is seen
Yellow, orange or white, so that people on foot can see it.
On the roadway or footway, a skip shows at all times the supplier’s name and contact details; battery-operated yellow flashing lights on its rear panel, where traffic coming up behind can see them; and safety barriers, reflective tape and cones around it, so that vehicles and pedestrians can see it.
None of the other eleven pages, as read, sets out colours or lights.
Room to walk past
Pedestrians keep free use of the rest of the footpath, with at least 1.5 metres left clear beside the skip at all times.
On a footway or grass verge, at least 1.5 metres clear on either side for people walking. Council will not approve a proposal that fails to keep safe access for people and vehicles.
Where on the road
Only where a car could legally park under the Road Rules 2014, signposted or not, and parallel to the kerb. It must not stick out into the traffic lane or stop water running along the gutter.
On the road only in extreme circumstances, and in daylight only. Never covering, or blocking access to, public or private utilities and drainage pits, and never hiding traffic signs and controls.
On the road only with Council’s approval, in exceptional circumstances where private property is not possible.
Near a state or regional road, more is needed. Bayside requires a Road Occupancy Licence before anything starts on, or within 100 metres of, a classified state or regional road or traffic lights. Randwick advises early consultation with the state roads agency it names, NSW Police and its own transport department for any activity on, or affecting, a state or regional road.
How long it stays
| Council | The unit |
|---|---|
| Willoughby | The rental fee covers at most 3 days, with weekends and public holidays counted as one day. |
| Hunter’s Hill | A permit fee per week, for a minimum of one week. |
| Canada Bay | Each permit is for one week at most. |
| Bayside | Occupancy fees by the day; a single dwelling is spared the application fee for up to 5 days. |
The amounts are in the guides for the North Shore and Bayside and Canada Bay, each dated to the day it was read.
How far ahead to ask
At least 10 business days to process, sometimes longer; an application lodged within 24 hours (one business day) of the works may be refused, and one lodged 72 hours (three business days) before attracts extra fees.
At least seven business days before the date you want.
At least 10 working days to assess, and longer for large works or on classified roads.
What goes with the application
A photo of the spot or a Google Maps screen grab, which is mandatory.
A location plan; a certificate of currency for public liability of no less than $20,000,000, naming the proposed permit holder as the insured and expiring at least three months after the proposed finish date of the work; a traffic management plan by a person accredited by Transport for NSW, meeting its Traffic Control at Work Sites Manual guidelines, AS 1742.3 and Work Cover NSW regulations; and, on a classified state or regional road, a Road Occupancy Licence from Transport for NSW.
For the yearly approval to place skips in public places, an insurance certificate showing Council indemnified for not less than $10,000,000 against all public risk.
For a road occupancy, a site plan, traffic management documents and an insurance certificate, ready before you apply.
Your council’s own list
Read only your council’s line in each section and you have its whole list, as far as its page goes. Some pages go much further than others, and the permit guide shows which councils ask for any approval at all.
Many of these conditions are about the bin itself, its size, colour, lights and barriers, rather than about you. They are the details to raise when you book, because the skip that arrives has to meet them on the day it is set down.