Fences

Do you and your neighbour have a fencing dispute? This section has information about issues that may come up when you are trying to build, fix or replace a dividing fence

For more information, see Your rights and obligations.

Sometimes when a fence has been damaged or destroyed, it may be necessary to urgently fix it or replace it. This section has information about what to do when you or your neighbour need to do urgent fencing work.

For more information, see Urgent fencing work.

It is important to talk to your neighbour about your fencing issue, so you can resolve your dispute without going through the court process. If you don’t know who your neighbour is you can take steps to find out who owns the property.

For more information, see Talk to your neighbour.

If you and your neighbour reach an agreement about your fencing issue, you can put the details into a written agreement. If one neighbour does not do what they agreed to, it may be possible to enforce the agreement.

For more information, see What if we agree?

This section has information about what happens when you and your neighbour can't agree on fencing work, including going to mediation and sending a Fencing Notice.

For more information, see What if we can’t agree?

If you can’t reach an agreement with your neighbour, you can apply for a Fencing Order with NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) or the Local Court.  This section has information about how to apply for a Fencing Order and preparing for the hearing.

For more information, see Fencing Orders.

This section gives you information about what happens after a decision about fencing work has been made by the NCAT  or the Local Court, including enforcing the decision if one neighbour does not follow the Tribunal or Court orders.

For more information, see After the decision.

This section has information about what can happen when neighbours disagree about where the boundary is, including 

• determining the boundary for fencing work
• determining the boundary for other reasons

For more information, see Boundaries.

This section has information about retaining walls including:

• what a retaining wall is
• who should pay
• how to determine whether you need approval before building a retaining wall

For more information, see Retaining walls.