Buyer's guide
Driveway Bollards: A Practical Buyer's Guide
Driveway bollards do one of two jobs. They keep other people's vehicles off your driveway, or they keep your own vehicle away from something you'd rather not hit. This guide covers type, placement, approvals and what a typical home job costs.
Short answer: On a single-width driveway, fit one key-lock removable bollard in the middle of the opening, with more across a wider one. Use fixed bollards to protect a garage door, wall, meter box or pillar. A 90mm bollard is usually enough for a home. Check who owns the ground first: your own driveway is usually fine, but the footpath, nature strip and strata common property need consent.
Why fit them
Common problems driveway bollards solve
Call it a bollard, a driveway security post or a parking post. It's a short steel post that stops a vehicle going where you don't want it.
| Problem | What usually suits | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Cars parking in your driveway or cutting across it | Removable bollard, key lock | Lock it in when you leave. Lift it out to drive in. |
| Garage or roller door being clipped | Fixed bollard beside the opening | Keep it clear of the door's travel. |
| Carport posts and pillars | Fixed bollard in front of the post | A 90mm is usually plenty. |
| Meter box, gas meter or letterbox | Fixed bollard on the vehicle side | Leave access for meter readers. |
| Wall at the end of a sloping driveway | Fixed bollard or bollards in front of the wall | Stops a slow roll or a misjudged reverse, not a car running free down a steep slope. |
| A parked vehicle, trailer or boat | Removable bollard behind or beside it | A deterrent, not a lock. |
Stopping people parking in your driveway
A removable bollard across the entry stops people pulling in to park, turn around or unload. It can't stop someone parking on the road across the front of your driveway, because that is public space. That is a parking-enforcement matter for your local council or the police.
Not crash-rated. SafeWise bollards are safety and delineation bollards. They deter parking and stop low-speed nudges, but they are not impact-tested or certified to PAS 68 or IWA 14 and are not a ram-raid barrier. If a vehicle could reach speed before it hits one, ask an engineer what the site needs.
Choosing
Which type and size of driveway bollard?
Removable driveway bollards
Use one for the driveway itself, where the space has to open and close. It sits in an in-ground socket and locks with a key. Unlock it and lift it out to drive in, then drop it back and lock it when you leave. See the removable bollards.
Fixed bollards for doors, walls and pillars
Use one where the space should never open. It's a surface-mount post bolted to the slab, with no socket and no lock to maintain. It suits the side of a garage door, a meter box, a pillar or a wall. See the fixed bollards.
Many homes use both. The removable vs fixed bollards guide sets out the trade-offs.
90mm or 140mm for a home?
A 90mm bollard is usually enough for a home. It stands 900mm above ground, weighs approx. 9.5kg and is easy to lift. Step up to 140mm for a shared driveway, regular van or ute traffic, or a vehicle that often reverses close by. The 140mm removable is also 900mm tall but weighs approx. 13.5kg and needs a bigger core hole. The 90mm vs 140mm guide has the full comparison.
Placement
Where to put driveway bollards
Position matters more than size.
How many bollards do you need?
On a single-width driveway, one removable bollard in the centre of the opening is the usual answer. Most cars are roughly 1.7–1.9m wide, and suppliers commonly suggest no more than about 1.5m clear between bollards if the aim is to stop a car. Worked through: a 3m opening with one 90mm bollard leaves about 1.45m either side. A 4.5m opening needs two (gaps of about 1.44m) and a 6m opening needs three (about 1.43m). The bollard spacing guide has more.
If people also walk through the same opening, keep at least about 1.0m clear, or 1.2m for a wheelchair user (Victorian Government's Design for Everyone guide, based on AS 1428.1).
Where along the driveway
- Inside your boundary. Keep it off the footpath. Council path guidance commonly cites at least 500mm off the edge of a path (for example Sunshine Coast Council, citing Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 6A).
- Clear of door swings. Allow for gates, tilt-up garage doors and car doors.
- Room for bins and people. Leave space for wheelie bins and for walking from the car to the front door.
- Easy to reach and see. Don't put it behind a parked car. A 900mm post can sit below the sightline of a driver reversing a tall vehicle, so check you can see it from the driver's seat.
Protecting a garage door with a bollard
A garage bollard goes at the side of the opening, level with the door jamb or the wall corner a car is likely to clip. Fixed suits that spot because it never needs to open. Don't put a fixed bollard across the opening, or you'll block your own car.
Rules
Do you need approval for a driveway bollard?
It depends on who owns or controls the ground the bollard goes in.
- Your own driveway on private land. Usually fine without a permit. Check for any planning overlay on the property.
- Footpath, nature strip and vehicle crossing. Usually council land. Works there generally need council consent or a permit, so ask before you buy.
- Strata and owners corporation. Driveways in a scheme are often common property. Get written approval before drilling, and check the scheme's rules even for your own car space.
- Shared driveways and rights-of-way. If others have a legal right to use the driveway, you can't block it. Get agreement in writing.
- Emergency access. Don't block the way in for emergency vehicles. A removable bollard lifts out, so everyone should know where the key is.
General guidance only. Rules vary by council and state, so confirm with your council or owners corporation first.
Installation
Installing driveway bollards on concrete, pavers and asphalt
SafeWise supplies product only, so the install is for you or your concreter. The method depends on the surface.
- New driveway pour (ideal timing). Cast the socket into the wet concrete with its cover plate flush with the finished surface and gravel beneath for drainage. Cure fully before use. Tell your concreter early.
- Existing concrete. Core drill about 130mm for the 90mm socket, or 220–225mm for the 140mm. Add gravel for drainage, seat the socket, backfill with non-shrink grout or concrete and trowel flush. A professional core driller is recommended.
- Pavers and asphalt. Neither holds a socket on its own. Lift the pavers or cut the asphalt, pour a concrete surround for the socket, then re-lay around it.
- Fixed bollards. Fix to the slab with M10 anchors, typically 100–150mm long. A thin or old slab needs a qualified installer to assess it.
Check for services first. Driveways commonly sit over stormwater, power, water and communications lines. Lodge a Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) enquiry and use a scanner where in doubt. Step by step: how to install removable bollards and how to install fixed bollards.
Day to day
Using a lockable driveway bollard
- Unlock and lift. Unlock it with the key and lift it straight out. The 90mm weighs approx. 9.5kg and the 140mm approx. 13.5kg, which is a heavier lift to make every day. Keep a spare key somewhere separate.
- Give it a place to stand. A bolt-down storage holder fixes to the floor by the garage and parks the bollard while it's out. It's $25 for 90mm and $35 for 140mm ex GST, in stock now. It is not an in-ground socket.
- Keep the socket clean. With the bollard out, the socket's cover plate sits flush with the driveway. Brush grit out now and then so the bollard seats fully.
Cost
What driveway bollards cost: a typical home example
One removable bollard and somewhere to park it, at SafeWise's listed starting prices.
| Item | Qty | Unit (ex GST) | Line (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removable Bollard 90mm, key lock (SW-RB90), with socket and keys | 1 | $120 | $120 |
| Bollard Storage Holder 90mm (SW-SL90) | 1 | $25 | $25 |
| Total ex GST | $145.00 | ||
| GST (10%) | $14.50 | ||
| Total inc GST | $159.50 |
Freight (quoted per job by weight and destination) and installation are extra. Anchors, grout and fixings are not included.
General Australian price guides put contractor installation at roughly $250–$700 per bollard, with extras such as concrete cutting adding $200–$1,000+ per job. Those are rough ranges, not quotes, but installation can cost more than the bollard. See the bollard cost guide.
SafeWise sells mainly to trade and in volume, but small orders are welcome at the listed per-unit prices, with freight to any Australian postcode. Bollards are pre-order on the next container (factory production typically 15–20 days plus sea freight and customs clearance). Storage holders are in stock now.
Quote me a 90mm removable bollard
Prices are indicative per-unit starting points, confirmed on written quote.
FAQs
Driveway bollard questions
Can I put a bollard on my driveway?
Yes, on your own private land you generally can. Choose a removable bollard if you still need to drive in and out. Ground you don't own or control is different: the footpath, nature strip and vehicle crossing, strata common property, and shared driveways.
Do I need council approval for a driveway bollard?
Usually not for a bollard wholly on your own property, but check for any planning overlay. Anything on the footpath, nature strip or road reserve generally needs council consent or a permit. In a strata scheme you need owners corporation approval.
How do I stop people parking across my driveway?
A bollard only works on your own land. It can stop vehicles pulling in, but not someone parking on the road across the entrance, because that is public space. That is a parking-enforcement matter for your local council or the police.
How heavy is a removable bollard to lift?
The 90mm removable bollard weighs approx. 9.5kg and the 140mm approx. 13.5kg. Most people lift the 90mm without trouble. If the same person will lift it every day, that is a good reason to choose 90mm.
Can I install a driveway bollard myself?
A fixed bollard on a sound slab is a drill-and-anchor job, using M10 anchors typically 100 to 150mm long. A removable bollard needs a core-drilled hole (about 130mm for the 90mm socket) or a socket cast into a new pour, so a professional core driller or concreter is the safer choice. Check for underground services first through Before You Dig Australia.
What size bollard do I need for a driveway?
A 90mm bollard is usually enough for a home driveway. It stands 900mm above ground and weighs approx. 9.5kg. Step up to 140mm for a shared driveway, regular van or ute traffic, or a vehicle that often reverses close to the bollard.
Related products
Bollards for driveways
Keep reading
Related guides
- Removable vs fixed bollardsWhich type suits the job
- 90mm vs 140mm bollardsWhich size to choose
- Bollard spacingGaps that stop cars
- How to install removable bollardsNew pours and core drilling
- How to install fixed bollardsAnchors and slab checks
- Bollard cost in AustraliaPrices and installation ranges
Last updated 8 October 2026.
Planning a driveway bollard job?
Tell us the size, how many and your postcode. We'll send a written quote with freight and an expected landing date, and aim to reply within one business day.