Real estate sign council rules in NSW, Victoria and Queensland

Most real estate signs in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland go up without a council application, because each state sets conditions under which a sale or lease sign is exempt; a sign outside them needs approval or can attract a compliance notice. The conditions that matter are the same everywhere: how big the sign can be, how many a property can carry, where it can stand, and how quickly it must come down.

This is general information, not legal advice. Planning instruments change and councils add their own conditions, so confirm the current rules with the council for each property before ordering.

What are the real estate sign rules in NSW?

In NSW, real estate signs are dealt with as exempt development under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, in the Advertising and Signage Exempt Development Code in Part 2. The transport and infrastructure policy does not appear to be the instrument for ordinary sale and lease boards.

Council fact sheets that summarise the code describe these standards for a residential property:

• One sign per property (per parcel of land or dwelling).
• Maximum area of 2.5 square metres for a residential sign, with different allowances for other zones and building types (The Hills Shire Council; NSW Department of Planning information sheet).
• On the land being sold or leased. Off-site directional real estate signs are not covered by the exemption.
• Not illuminated, and a height limit applies.
• Removed within 14 days of the sale or lease, and for vacant land no later than the start of construction (Hawkesbury City Council).
• Heritage. Signs must not be attached to a heritage item, and the department's information sheet describes a broader restriction for heritage items and conservation areas. Treat heritage-listed properties as a case to check with council first.

Exempt development must also meet the general requirements of the code, including not obstructing traffic or pedestrians and being structurally sound. A large photo board of 1200 x 1800mm is 2.16 square metres, inside the residential figure above; a 2400 x 1200mm sheet is 2.88 square metres and is not. Our guide to real estate sign sizes has the area of each common format.

Can real estate A-frames and directional signs go on NSW footpaths?

In NSW, footpaths and road reserves are council land. A-frames and directional signs on them fall under council policy and the Roads Act framework rather than the exempt code, so each council sets its own conditions or permit.

What are the real estate sign rules in Victoria?

Victoria handles signs through Clause 52.05 (Signs) of the Victoria Planning Provisions, which sits in every council's planning scheme. Clause 52.05-10 lists signs that do not need a permit, and a real estate sign is one of them.

The conditions as described by councils are:

• Up to 10 square metres of advertisement area for a sign publicising the sale or letting of the land it stands on (Frankston City Council).
• One sign per property, on the land itself rather than the road reserve.
• Removal within 7 days of the sale or lease. Wyndham City Council explains that this is the date both parties sign the contract, not the settlement date (Wyndham City Council).

How did Amendment VC294 change Victorian real estate sign rules?

Amendment VC294, gazetted on 27 October 2025, changed Clause 52.05-10. According to Russell Kennedy Lawyers, the exemption now covers real estate signs up to 10 square metres including animated signs, where older council guides list "not animated" as a condition. If a council guide you are reading predates late 2025, check it against the current clause.

A permit can be sought to vary these conditions, for example to keep a sign up longer. Heritage overlays and other overlay controls in a local planning scheme can still require a permit, so check the property's overlays.

Do real estate A-frames on Victorian footpaths need a council permit?

In Victoria, signs on footpaths and road reserves, including open home A-frames and directional boards, are a local law matter. Councils such as Manningham run their own real estate advertising permits, and conditions and fees differ from council to council.

What are the real estate sign rules in Queensland?

Queensland does not have a single statewide exemption for real estate signs. Advertising devices are regulated by each council through local laws and planning schemes, so the rules in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba are written separately.

What are the real estate sign rules in Brisbane?

In Brisbane, real estate signs need no approval if they meet the conditions of the council's Permitted Advertising Devices Designation. Brisbane City Council's Advertising Devices Local Law 2021 commenced on 21 May 2021. Under it, the Permitted Advertising Devices Designation lists devices that need no approval if they meet its conditions, and real estate signage is one of them. It defines a real estate sign as a temporary advertising device to facilitate the sale, auction or rental of a property.

Points from the designation and the REIQ's summary:

• Removal 14 days after settlement. The REIQ describes the limit as no more than 14 calendar days after the settlement date of the property advertised. Note that this is settlement, unlike Victoria's contract date.
• Footway signs for residential real estate are capped at 1 metre high, 0.6 metres wide and 0.6 metres deep, set at least 450mm from the kerb with a 2 metre clear pedestrian corridor.
• Road reserves. Signs may not sit on the road reserve beyond the listed exceptions, and must not obstruct pedestrians.

Area limits for the board itself are set in the designation and differ between residential and other properties. Other councils write their own conditions; Toowoomba Regional Council, for example, has its own rules for real estate and directional real estate signs. For any Queensland property outside Brisbane, start with that council's advertising devices local law.

What should an agency check before putting up a real estate sign in NSW, Victoria or Queensland?

Before a real estate sign goes up in NSW, Victoria or Queensland, an agency should work through six checks:

1. Identify the council and zone for the property, and any heritage listing or overlay.
2. Check the board's area against the limit for that zone, counting both sides only if the instrument says so.
3. Keep to one sign per property unless the council allows more.
4. Put the board on the land being sold or leased, not the nature strip or footpath, unless you have council permission.
5. Diarise removal: 14 days after sale or lease in NSW, 7 days after the contract in Victoria, and 14 days after settlement in Brisbane, subject to the checks above.
6. For open home A-frames and directional signs, check the council's footpath conditions or permit before the first weekend.

The rules in Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory follow a different pattern; see real estate sign rules in WA, SA, ACT, Tasmania and the NT.

We print listing boards in sizes chosen to sit inside common residential limits, from 600 x 450mm to 1200 x 900mm, and footpath A-frames printed both sides. Frames, stakes and installation are arranged through your consultant. See corflute signboards, A-frame footpath signs or the real estate sector page.