Public places include road-related areas, Council land, areas designated by Council or other locations where activities are likely to impact residents or visitors.
Read more about how our Activities Local Law protects the amenity of public places.
No advertising board areas
We do not permit portable advertising boards of any kind to be displayed in the following designated areas due to high pedestrian volumes:
- Swanston Street, between Flinders and Victoria streets
- Collins Street, between Spring and Spencer streets
- Elizabeth Street, between Flinders and Victoria streets
- Bourke Street, between Spring and Spencer streets
- Lygon Street, between Queensberry and Faraday streets
- Southbank Promenade.
Portable advertising board permits
Eligibility
To be eligible for this permit:
- Your business must be located in the municipality of Melbourne.
- You must hold public liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $20 million.
- Only one business in a multi-tenanted building will be approved to display a board, even if your business is at or below ground level or in an arcade. If you are unsure whether there is an existing permit for another board in your building, please contact us on 9658 9658.
- The footpath adjacent to your entrance must be at least 3.5 metres wide, considering the proposed location of the board and any existing street furniture (such as poles, bins and bicycle hoops).
- If your business is located in a shared laneway where the road is intermittently closed to vehicles, approved boards may only be displayed outside of the vehicle access times. For example, a board can only be placed in Driver Lane between 11am and 3pm, Monday to Friday.
Before you apply
As a permit holder, you will be responsible for ensuring:
- One board measuring max. 1 metre wide and 1 metre high is displayed, only during trading hours.
- The board is displayed on the footpath in front of your business address.
- The board is placed min. 2 metres from the building alignment and 0.5 to 1.5 metres from the kerb.
- The board is not placed anywhere that may impede or distract pedestrians or other road users.
- The board is not moved by wind and presents no hazard to the public.
Please review the portable advertising board permit conditions:
Once your application has been received, we'll arrange an inspection of the proposed board location to determine whether it is safe and appropriate to issue a permit.
You will need to upload a public liability insurance certificate of currency with a minimum coverage of $20 million for a single claim. The policy must cover any location within the municipality and must list City of Melbourne as an interested party. Read more about our public liability insurance requirements.
If you propose to place an advertising board in front of a multi-tenanted property, you will also need to upload a current letter on letterhead from the property owner or body corporate, authorising you to place a portable advertising board outside the property. A new letter is required when a permit is being renewed.
Non-refundable application fee of $242 per application.
Permit fee of $736 per permit (payment must be made before the permit can be issued).
Permits are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
Apply for a portable advertising board permit
Real estate pointer board permits
If you want to temporarily display boards or signs in public places advertising activities such as ‘for sale’, ‘for rent’, ‘open for inspection’ and ‘auction’, your real estate agency must have a permit.
Only one permit is required per agency or franchise. One permit allows a maximum of three boards to be displayed per event, and up to 10 boards to be displayed across the municipality on a given day.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this permit your agency must hold public liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $20 million. See supporting documents below for more information.
Before you apply
Permit holders are responsible for ensuring:
- No more than three boards are placed per event, for no more than 30 minutes before and after the event.
- Boards are placed on the nature strip, or on the footpath where there is no nature strip.
- Boards are placed a minimum 620 mm from the kerb and ensure a minimum 1.2 metres of clear footpath for pedestrians.
- Boards are not placed in areas with high pedestrian volumes or anywhere that may impede or distract road users (including roundabouts, roadways, crossing points and traffic islands).
Please review the permit conditions:
You need to upload a public liability insurance certificate of currency with a minimum coverage of $20 million for a single claim. The policy must cover any location within the municipality and must list City of Melbourne as an interested party. Read more about our public liability insurance requirementsOpens in new tab.
Non-refundable application fee of $242 per application (payable at the time your online application is submitted).
Permit fee of $736 per permit (payment must be made before the permit can be issued).
Permits are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
Apply for a real estate board permit
