What hoarding is, how it differs from temporary fencing, the separate approvals a Victorian project can need, and how to plan the printed graphics so they go up on time and look right for the whole build.
Construction hoarding is the temporary solid barrier that separates a building or demolition site from the public. In Victoria, regulation 116 of the Building Regulations 2018 requires precautions where building work could be a hazard to the public, and hoarding is one of the most common. If it extends over the street alignment or onto council land, expect council approvals on top of the building permit. Once it is up, the hoarding is usually the biggest advertising surface the project has.
Written by Melbourne Trade Signs, a large-format print and signage company at Unit 6/43 Orbis Drive, Ravenhall VIC 3023. We print and install signage for builders and businesses across Melbourne. Updated October 2026.
Hoarding does two jobs. It protects the public from the work: falling materials, plant movements, excavations and dust. And it secures the site, keeping people out after hours. A third job is optional but valuable: a printed hoarding turns a blank wall, which would otherwise attract posters and graffiti, into months of advertising for the builder, the developer or the business opening behind it.
It is not the same as temporary fencing. Temporary fence panels are mesh panels standing in weighted feet. They are quick to move and fine for many sites, but they are see-through, easy to climb and offer no protection from falling objects. Hoarding is solid, continuous and fixed, and on busier sites it can include overhead protection over the footpath.
| Type | What it is | Where it is used | Graphics options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary fencing | Mesh fence panels in weighted feet. Not hoarding in the strict sense | Residential builds, open sites, short works | Mesh banners, cable-tied corflute |
| Timber-framed ply hoarding | A solid plywood face on a timber or steel frame, built to suit the site | CBD and suburban frontages, display suites, retail fitouts | Adhesive vinyl direct to ply, ACM or corflute panels |
| Modular panel hoarding | Proprietary steel- or composite-framed panels that bolt together and are reused job to job | Commercial and civil sites, staged works | Printed panels or vinyl to the panel face |
| Hoarding with overhead protection | Solid hoarding plus a covered walkway (often called a gantry) over the footpath | Multi-storey work beside a public footpath | Graphics on the hoarding face and gantry fascia |
| Scaffold with mesh or wrap | Scaffold enclosed with mesh to the building face | Facade works, refurbishments, high-rise | Building wraps and printed scaffold mesh |
Inside shopping centres, hoardings are usually lightweight timber-framed walls in front of a tenancy fitout, built and dressed to centre management rules. They follow the same logic at a smaller scale: hide the works, keep the mall safe, and start marketing the store before it opens.
People often treat “the hoarding permit” as a single thing. In Victoria there are commonly three separate questions, handled by different people. Councils make the same point: one council notes that a hoarding permit cannot be used in place of a regulation 116 report and consent.
Regulation 116 of the Building Regulations 2018 requires precautions before and during building work where the public could be put at risk. Those precautions can include hoarding, gantries, scaffolds, closing part of a footpath or road, and underpinning a footpath near the street alignment. The relevant building surveyor works out what is needed as part of the building permit.
Where those protection works go over the street alignment (onto the footpath or road), the council’s report and consent is also needed, and some councils state that the building surveyor cannot issue the building permit until it has been obtained. Councils ask for things like plans, clearances and, for gantries and non-standard structures, engineering. Turnaround varies: one Melbourne council quotes an average of about 21 days. Build that time into the program.
Separately, putting a hoarding, gantry or scaffold on a footpath, road or nature strip needs the council’s permit to occupy that land. The City of Melbourne, for example, requires a permit for hoardings, gantries and scaffolding on public land, requires a clear pedestrian path to be kept on the footpath, and charges an application fee plus a daily rate for each square metre occupied. Fees and conditions change each financial year and differ between councils, so check with the council for your site.
Signs in Victoria are controlled by Clause 52.05 of the planning scheme. Identifying the project or the builder is generally treated differently from third-party advertising, and the City of Melbourne has assessed hoarding signage through planning permit applications on several CBD projects. If the hoarding will carry large branded graphics or advertising, ask the council early, before the artwork is signed off.
General information only, current as at October 2026, and not legal advice. Regulations, fees and council requirements change. Confirm the requirements for your project with your building surveyor and the local council.
Construction hoarding is a temporary solid barrier, usually plywood or modular panels on a frame, that separates a building or demolition site from the public. It protects people from the works, secures the site, and is often printed with project branding and information.
Usually, if it affects public land. Under regulation 116 of the Building Regulations 2018, public protection works over the street alignment need the council’s report and consent, and occupying a footpath or road needs a separate council permit. Large advertising graphics can also raise planning questions under Clause 52.05.
Requirements differ between councils, so confirm with your building surveyor and the local council.
Temporary fencing is see-through mesh panels in weighted feet, quick to move and suited to lower-risk sites. Hoarding is solid, continuous and fixed. It keeps dust and debris in, is much harder to climb, and can include overhead protection over a footpath. It is also a far better surface for printed graphics.
Generally the builder or principal contractor arranges the approvals, working with the relevant building surveyor, who determines the public protection required. Hoarding contractors and sign companies supply drawings and specifications to support the applications.
It varies by council and by how complex the structure is. As one example, a Melbourne council quotes an average of about 21 days for a regulation 116 report and consent. Gantries and non-standard structures that need engineering take longer, so lodge early.
Project identification, such as the builder, the development name and the leasing contact, is common on hoardings. Larger branded graphics and third-party advertising are controlled through the planning scheme, and some hoarding signage in the City of Melbourne has needed a planning permit. Check with the council before finalising artwork.
Adhesive vinyl applied directly to smooth plywood, printed ACM or corflute panels fixed to the hoarding, or printed mesh on scaffold and fencing. Most city projects combine them. Our hoarding signage page compares the options.
Hoarding graphics printed in Ravenhall and installed by our own crews: vinyl, panels and mesh.
See hoarding signage →Builder’s boards, AS 1319 safety signs and what a Victorian site legally has to display.
See site signage →Corflute vs ACM and the rest: which material suits a hoarding, a site board or a fence.
Read the guide →Send the hoarding length, a site photo and the date it goes up. We will price the graphics and installation inside two business hours.