What is a Section 138 Roads Act approval?

It is Central Coast Council's approval to carry out work on council's road reserve, which for most home projects means the driveway crossing between the kerb and your boundary. That strip is council land, not yours, so building the crossing needs council's separate approval even though the driveway inside your boundary is covered by your DA or CDC. It is lodged as a Roads Act Application through Central Coast Council's Property and Payments Portal.

When do I need a Section 138 approval?

When your development consent conditions or your certifier's complying development checklist call for it, which is usual whenever a driveway or vehicle crossing is involved. It is a prerequisite for most complying development certificates and satisfies a condition on many DAs. The work has to comply with council's Civil Works Specification and standard drawings.

What do I need before lodging a Section 138 application?

An account on Central Coast Council's Property and Payments Portal, which takes about two days for council to set up, plus the driveway design detailed to council's Civil Works Specification standard drawings. Applications are lodged against the property address, and you nominate the applicant as part of the lodgement.

Apply for a Section 138 Roads Act Approval

Shea CullenNSW Registered Architect 9748 · Updated 1 July 2026

When you receive your Development Consent Conditions (DA), or your complying development checklist from your certifier, one of the conditions may be to submit a Section 138 approval with Central Coast Council. This is approval to build the driveway on council property in front of yours. It will need to comply with the Civil Works Specification and standard drawings, and here is the form on council's website.

How to apply through Central Coast Online Services

If you do not have an account for the Central Coast Online Services Property and Payments Portal, apply for one here. It takes about two days for council to get back to you, and then you can log in.
Log in to Central Coast Council's Property and Payments Portal.
Select Lodge Application:

Central Coast Council portal homepage with lodge an application boxed

Expand the Development options:

Application type page with the Development dropdown arrow highlighted

Select Roads Act Application. This is the one that covers vehicle access crossings, works zones and road occupancy licences. Do not pick Water Management Act Application, which is the Section 307 certificate, or Road Opening Permit, which is for excavating the road reserve.

Development application list with the Roads Act Application option selected

Choose Submit an Application for a Property:

Location type screen with submit an application for a property selected

Search for your address:

Property search form filled in with a Kambala Close address

Select your property from the search results:

Property search results with the matching Wyoming property selected

Identify the applicant:

Identify parties screen with the applicant name Good Architect boxed

Fill out the form and pay the fee. Council will display the number of working days it expects to take.

That is the Section 138 approval lodged. It is a prerequisite for most complying development certificates where a driveway is involved, and it satisfies the equivalent condition on many DAs. If your driveway also crosses a table drain or needs stormwater work, check the rest of your consent conditions before you start, because they are usually lodged together.

Apply for a Section 138 Roads Act Approval

How to apply through Central Coast Online Services

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