Where can I build on my property?

An easement is a section of your property that others have the right to use and access in specific situations, to keep your water, sewer, stormwater, electricity, or gas services working properly.

Because of this, you can’t build any permanent structures over easements, even if they don’t contain infrastructure. Easements are usually shown on your title or lease document. You can also search your property, and find more information about any easements, at ACTmapi.

We recommend contacting Before You Dig Australia (BYDA). This free service will provide plans showing Icon Water’s assets (as well as assets for telecommunications, electricity, gas and stormwater) in your work area.

Knowing what assets are where will help you understand any restrictions that could impact your project. It’s much better to know this at the start, otherwise you risk damaging our assets, paying for expensive repairs, or having to change your plans while you’re building.

It’s important to also get information from BYDA on assets in the properties and roads around your property as these assets may also affect where you can build (see our boundary and easements guides for more information). Pipes on your neighbours’ properties might also impact your project because of our ‘pipe protection envelope’ and ‘zone of influence’ requirements (see below). Make sure you include your neighbours’ addresses when asking Before You Dig Australia for information on our infrastructure.

Important: Plans and other information provided by Icon Water must be used as a guide only. You should not rely on these plans alone, because assets sometimes shift from what is shown on plans because of past activities, erosion, subsidence or the slope of the land. It is your responsibility to determine the exact location of our assets by following the steps below, before you start design or construction work.

You may also want to find out where your own services are on your property (like the pipes that run from your water meter into your house) before you start digging. Ask a plumber, electrician or visit Access Canberra. These internal service lines belong to you and we don’t keep records of them at Icon Water.

Check if there is an Icon Water easement on your property and/or if our records indicate that there is sewer or water infrastructure on your property. This information is available from ACTmapi (ACT Government mapping website). Please be aware, that even if there is no easement on your property there may still be an Icon Water or sewer or water infrastructure present. Please also be aware that the location of our infrastructure may not be in the exact centre of the easement. The presence of an easement is only a starting point in determining exactly what type , size and location of sewer and water infrastructure may be on your property.

When planning and building a new structure there are two important guides as to how close you can build to our infrastructure – the Pipe Protection Envelope (PPE) and the Zone of Influence (ZOI).

Pipe Protection Envelope: Your structure must be outside the Pipe Protection Envelope (or PPE). This is a space above and below ground surrounding our pipes and other infrastructure. The exact width and height of the PPE will vary depending on the type and depth of our pipe. You must keep this space clear so we can safely excavate our pipe without undermining your structure. More about the Pipe Protection Envelope for pipe types;

- Gravity sewer pipes: the PPE width depends on the size of the pipe and its depth below the ground. The height above ground of the PPE for gravity sewer pipes depends on the depth and diameter of the pipe.

- Pressurised pipes (such as water mains and pumped sewer mains): the PPE width depends on the size of the pipe and its depth below the ground. The height above ground of the PPE for pressurised pipes in infinite, i.e. no overhanging structures such as roof eaves can extend over the PPE

- For very deep pipes we might need to use specialised excavation equipment. This equipment takes up more space so please contact us for further advice.

The dimensions of the PPE and easements may be different. Your proposed structure must comply with both requirements.

Zone of Influence: You also need to consider the ‘Zone of Influence’ (or ZOI). This is the area below the ground either side of a pipe where the weight of your structure will impact or place pressure on our pipes and may cause them to crack or break (older pipes are particularly vulnerable). This is different to the PPE.

You can build in the ZOI if you take additional measures that allow the weight of your structure to be supported away from our pipe and outside the PPE.