Shipping containers

Placement on City-managed land

A shipping container placement on public/privately owned land application form must be completed and a Public Liability Insurance of $10 million supplied prior to placement of the shipping container.

An authorised City Officer may carry out a pre-placement inspection. The container must comply with the VicRoads Code of Practice for placement of waste bins on roadsides in regards to being fitted with a light or reflective tape and side markings.

The container must not be placed in designated areas such as No Stopping, Loading Zone, Bus Zones, Disabled Parking Bays or any Clearway.

Placement on a nature strip (we would not approve on a footpath) must have minimum 1.5 metres of clear pedestrian access at all times.

Placement on private land

A shipping container placement on public/privately owned land application form must be completed prior to placement of the shipping container. Public Liability Insurance of $10 million may be required dependent on delivery method.

An authorised City Officer may carry out a pre-placement inspection.

Permits will only be issued for a maximum of 12 months.  Dependent on the intended usage of the shipping container you may require a different permit.  

Applications will be assessed in accordance with guidelines outlined in our Neighbourhood Amenity Local Law 2014.

Other required permits

You may need a planning and/or building permit to use a shipping container for the following uses:

• personal storage
• commercial purposes
• farm or machinery storage
• habitable purposes.

Planning permit (private property)

A shipping container used for:

• domestic storage, farm storage or as a detached habitable building such as a studio or rumpus room/bungalow will be classified as an outbuilding.
  A planning permit may be required and will depend on your property’s planning zones and overlays.
• the storage of empty shipping containers could be considered as a commercial use of the land.
  An application for a planning permit would be required to be lodged with our Planning Services team for the use of the land for shipping container storage.
  For further information please email [email protected].

Building permit (private property)

Shipping containers:

• used on properties for medium or long term use as a habitable or non-habitable outbuilding, shed, storage or similar will require a building permit.
• placed on site temporarily to assist in moving house or for site building works during construction does not require a Building or Planning Permit.
  It is recommended that the surrounding neighbours be notified of the proposed timelines.
• used on commercial properties for any purpose other than short term loading of goods for shipping purposes or in designated container storage facilities, require a building permit.

If the container requires a permit, it must comply with the requirements of the building regulations and all the relevant parts of the National Construction Code.

For further information please email [email protected].