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Council regulates the parking of heavy vehicles to protect the safety of road users, pedestrians and residents.

Heavy Vehicles Stopping on Roads

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Queensland) defines a heavy vehicle as any vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) or aggregated trailer mass (ATM) or more than 4.5 tonnes. A heavy vehicle must not stop on the road in a built-up area for longer than one hour, unless the driver is engaged in dropping of or picking up goods for all of the period when the vehicle is stopped.

Heavy Vehicles Parking on Private Property

Local Law No.5 (Parking) 2013 regulates the parking of heavy vehicles in a residential or rural area.  The local law defines a heavy vehicle as any of the following:

  • A vehicle or combination of vehicles (including an adjunct vehicle) with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of more than 4.5 tonnes or total length exceeding 7.5 m
  • A trailer or semi-trailer standing alone with a GVM of 3 or more tonnes or a total length exceeding 5 m
  • Any vehicle of whatever size equipped to carry (by whatever means) a motor vehicle
  • A tractor
  • Any vessel with a length exceeding 9 m
  • Any other vehicle or equipment consistent with the vehicles listed above

An adjunct vehicle means any of the following:

  • Trailers designed or adapted for the carriage of goods with a carrying capacity in excess of 2 tonne tare, including the trailer of an articulated vehicle
  • Trailers designed or adapted for earthmoving or road-making purposes, including a vehicle or equipment designed or adapted for excavating materials or equipment such as rollers, compressors or the like, designed or adapted to be drawn behind a heavy vehicle
  • Trailers containing refrigeration units
  • Earthmoving equipment or vehicle capable of being transported on the tray of a heavy vehicle
  • Any other trailers or equipment consistent with the trailers or equipment listed above

Council does not issue permits for heavy or long vehicles to park on the road or a road related area.

For further information on heavy vehicle parking please refer to the below documents:

Heavy and Long Vehicle Parking Permits

Council’s local laws allow for permits to be issued for a single heavy vehicle to park on a property in certain circumstances.  The below minimum standard must be met before a permit will be issued, other considerations may apply depending on the specific property;

  1. The permit holder must ensure that the permit is displayed prominently on the dashboard of the vehicle with all details of the permit visible.
  2. The permit is retained by the permit holder and produced on demand of an authorised person.
  3. A copy of the permit is retained by the landowners and produced on demand from an authorised person.
  4. The bitumen sealed pavement of the existing road associated with the current driveway access point must be maintained and reinstated to its original form, should the permitted use cause excessive damage to the existing road surface. Any works performed in this regard shall meet the standards and be to the satisfaction of the local government.
  5. No major service, repair or maintenance activities are to be conducted on the subject Heavy Vehicle upon the premises or adjacent road/road reserves.
  6. No vehicles, tyres or any other material associated with the parking of the heavy vehicle, is to be stored on the land at any time.
  7. If the heavy vehicle returns to the site loaded, no unloading is to take place anywhere on the subject land.
  8. The permit holder must ensure that the heavy vehicle parking does not cause a nuisance or disturbance, including by the hours at which the heavy vehicle arrives or departs from the land and by the operation of motors or refrigeration.

Residents are encouraged to contact Council to discuss the suitability of a proposed site if they are unsure whether the proposal meets the criteria set out in the local law.

Note: Parking of more than one heavy vehicle on a residential property constitutes a general industry (truck depot) pursuant to the Ipswich Planning Scheme and would require a planning application to be made to Council. Such a use within a residential area is generally unlikely to be supported due to the impacts on the surrounding area.

If a permit is granted it is valid for the financial year and an application for renewal is required each financial year thereafter.

Non-compliance with Council’s local laws or a condition of the permit may result in enforcement action being taken against the permit holder.

Council Guidelines for Regulation of Heavy Vehicle Parking

As part of the Ipswich Planning Scheme, Council has developed Implementation Guideline 16 to assist customers in determining whether a heavy vehicle parking permit is applicable to their circumstances. The guideline designates two types of preferred heavy vehicle parking areas and provides maps illustrating these areas:

  • Category A areas: outlines where no permit is required if parking a single heavy vehicle (unless there is a concentration of existing residential use within 100 m)
  • Category B areas: outlines the preferred heavy vehicle parking areas but a permit is still required

For further information refer to the guidelines below: