Do I really need 300 mm around my water meter?

Yes. Sydney Water's meter policy asks for a 300 mm clear space around the meter, and it's there for practical reasons, not red tape. The people who read, test and replace meters need room to work, and you need room to get to the main valve beside it. Here's what the clearance means in practice and what to do if your meter is boxed in.

Why the 300 mm matters

Height above the ground

Sydney Water's policy also has the pipes either side of the meter sitting about 300 mm above the ground, which keeps the meter out of soil and water and easy to reach. Meters sitting at ground level, or below it in a hole, are a common problem in older homes. See buried water meters.

Common problems we see

• Hedges, shrubs or garden beds planted around the meter.
• New front fences or letterboxes built tight against it.
• Paving or concrete poured right up to the pipes.
• Meters inside locked gates without access arrangements.

How we fix it

Often it's a matter of clearing space. Where a fence, path or wall has been built too close, we can raise or reposition the meter assembly within Sydney Water's requirements, so it's accessible again. You get a fixed price before any work starts. See our water meter guide.

In southern Eastern Suburbs homes

Front gardens in Matraville, Maroubra and Kingsford are often small, and meters end up squeezed between fences, letterboxes and driveways. We sort out plenty of boxed-in meters before Sydney Water's meter replacement program reaches a street.

Related help: water meter guide, buried water meters, moving a water meter and meter more than 1 m from the boundary. Local pages: Matraville, Maroubra, Kingsford and Coogee.