Battle-axe subdivision explained: rear lots and access legs

A battle-axe lot is a rear lot that reaches the street through a narrow strip of land, usually called the access leg or handle, which carries the driveway and services. It lets many owners keep the existing house at the front and create a new lot behind it, and it is common in Adelaide infill. Whether your block can take one depends on the lot size (and whether the leg counts), the leg's width and length, frontage, room for a driveway, crossover and services, and whether the front house still meets setback and parking rules.

There is no national rule. Each state, and often each council, sets its own, and some places discourage battle-axe lots. This guide covers the tests state by state, the title alternatives and what to check on your block.

What is a battle-axe lot?

Seen from above, the lot looks like an axe: a wide "head" at the back and a narrow "handle" running out to the street. Western Australia's Operational Policy 2.2 Residential Subdivision describes a battle-axe lot as a single house lot whose only frontage to a public road, for servicing and access, is through "a strip of connecting land containing a pedestrian access leg and/ or vehicular access way that is part of the lot".

So the leg belongs to the rear lot, not the front one. WA's R-Codes Volume 1 practice notes (April 2024) say the access leg "is exclusively owned and forms part of the lot of the rear dwelling".

The names vary: a hatchet lot in NSW, a rear lot in Queensland, a hammerhead lot in South Australia and an internal lot in Kingborough's scheme in Tasmania. The strip is called a leg, handle or access strip.

Why owners use a battle-axe layout

Where a house sits across the front of its block, there may be no room to split the land side by side. A battle-axe layout runs the new boundary behind the house and takes a driveway down one side. As our ACT guide puts it, frontage and the existing house decide whether blocks sit side by side or front and rear.

Keeping the house is often the point. The NT's proposed amendment PA2026/0205 would allow battle-axe lots in Zone LR where "the configuration enables the retention of an existing dwelling". In Victoria, many owners keep the existing house and create one new lot.

Planning rules do not always welcome them, though:

WA: Operational Policy 2.2 says the battle-axe configuration "is not favoured" and direct street frontage is preferred. Councils can restrict battle-axe subdivision in character or heritage areas.
NSW (Camden): the council's DCP aims "to limit the number of battle-axe lots".
QLD (Logan): rear lots are not permitted in some precincts, including the Low density residential zone's small lot precinct and every Low-medium density residential precinct listed.
TAS (Kingborough): the acceptable solution is "No lot is an internal lot", so an internal lot always relies on the performance criteria.
NT: clause 6.2.1 of the NT Planning Scheme 2020 currently says "There are no battle-axe lots", unless the consent authority approves a variation.

The main tests for a battle-axe lot

Lot size, and whether the access leg counts

This is often the deciding test. Where the leg is excluded, the rear lot must reach the minimum with its "head" alone.

State	What the sources say about the rear lot's area
NSW	Set by your council's LEP and DCP. Camden Council's DCP requires a battle-axe lot of at least 600 m² excluding the access handle. Northern Beaches Council's draft LEP (not in force) would exclude any access corridor, including a right of carriageway, from lot size for dual occupancy
VIC	No single statewide minimum lot size. Some zone schedules set one (for example in the Neighbourhood Residential Zone), and Clause 56 standards apply
QLD	Set by council. In Logan's suburban precinct a rear lot under 500 m² makes the application impact assessable, against a 400 m² minimum for other lots
SA	Each zone in the Planning and Design Code sets a minimum site area and frontage, and zone rules can treat battle-axe sites differently
WA	Table D of the R-Codes gives a separate rear battle-axe lot area for single houses, such as 450 m² at R20 and 410 m² at R30 (general minimums 350 m² and 260 m²). The R-Codes have their own rules on how the leg is counted
TAS	General Residential Zone: 450 m² acceptable solution. Kingborough: corner or internal lot at least 550 m², not including any fee simple access strip
ACT	"Minimum areas exclude any battle axe handle": 350 m² in RZ1, 300 m² in RZ2, 275 m² in RZ3, 250 m² in RZ4 and RZ5
NT	No battle-axe lots under the current scheme. PA2026/0205 (proposed) would set a 450 m² Zone LR minimum excluding any battle-axe lot access strip

Worked example: on an ACT RZ1 block, a front and rear split using the 350 m² route needs two blocks of at least 350 m² each, and the rear block's handle comes on top of its 350 m². In WA, Operational Policy 2.2 says the WAPC will not reduce minimum or average lot sizes for battle-axe lots. For more on how each state sets its figures, see our guide to the minimum lot size for subdivision by state.

Access leg width and length

The leg has to fit a driveway, landscaping and services. The official figures we found are:

Where	Minimum width	Other controls
NSW (Camden DCP)	3.5 m if serving one additional lot; 5 m if serving two	No more than 2 lots; maximum length 50 m; reciprocal rights of way; 3 m x 3 m splay
WA (Operational Policy 2.2)	4 m at R2 to R40; 3.6 m at R50 and higher	Width allows for a 3 m constructed driveway, landscaping and public utility services
TAS (General Residential Zone)	Frontage or right of carriageway not less than 3.6 m (performance criterion)	Vehicular access must meet the road authority's requirements
TAS (Kingborough interim scheme)	Access strip or right-of-way not less than 3.6 m	Passing bays at appropriate distances; adjacent to or combined with no more than three other internal lot access strips; sealed driveway before the final plan is sealed

In WA, the WAPC may accept narrower legs where the subdivider agrees with the council to reciprocal rights of access over adjoining battle-axe legs. Elsewhere, check the planning scheme or code that applies to your block.

Frontage

A rear lot rarely meets a normal street frontage, so it usually needs its own rule or a merit assessment:

SA: each zone sets a minimum frontage, sometimes through a mapped Minimum Frontage variation.
WA: Table D's minimum frontage figures apply to single houses, such as 10 m at R20.
TAS: the General Residential Zone acceptable solution is a 12 m frontage, so a rear lot usually relies on the 3.6 m performance criterion and a discretionary application. Kingborough's standard frontage is 15 m, except for an internal lot.
ACT: a mid-sized block (over 250 m² up to 500 m²) needs 25 m depth and 10 m width.
NT: lots under 600 m² for a single dwelling need 10 m (300 m² to under 450 m²) or 13 m (450 m² to under 600 m²) of boundary to a public road. PA2026/0205 proposes 12 m for Zone LR lots of 450 m² to under 600 m².

Driveway, crossover and services

On a battle-axe lot, vehicle access and services both have to come down the leg past the front house.

VIC: access to a rear lot is assessed against the lot access objective in Clause 56.06-8, whose standard says the crossover should meet the relevant road authority's requirements.
TAS: each lot needs vehicular access that meets the road authority's requirements, and the General Residential acceptable solutions require a connection to a full water supply service and reticulated sewerage, and the ability to connect to a public stormwater system (clause 8.6.3).
WA: the 4 m leg width is set to fit a 3 m driveway plus public utility services. A sewer main crossing the lot, or the need for a main extension, can add cost.
ACT: separate utility services are installed for each block.
NT: lots in Zones LR, LMR, MR and HR are to be connected to reticulated services.

Driveways, crossovers and service connections are quoted on scope, and a Subdivision Checker report gives indicative costs for your property. Our guide to how much it costs to subdivide sets out the official fees by state.

Setbacks and the front house staying compliant

A new boundary behind the house, and a driveway beside it, can put the house itself out of step with the rules:

NSW: an existing house, shed or pool has to sit within one of the new lots. Camden's DCP also wants a building envelope on the rear lot that meets its setback, solar access, private open space and site coverage controls.
QLD: an existing house has to fit on its new lot with the setbacks, access and services the scheme requires.
SA: if the house stays, its yard, parking and access must still work under the Code on the smaller lot.
WA: where a retained house is reached by a battle-axe leg, the WAPC will generally require no eaves overhangs or other protrusions into the driveway, adequate space for the parking the R-Codes require, and sufficient space for safe vehicle manoeuvring. The 2024 practice notes add that the leg cannot be used to average the front house's primary street setback.
TAS: existing buildings should be consistent with the required setbacks to the new boundary, and each General Residential lot needs a 10 m x 15 m building area clear of setbacks and easements.

Survey-strata, community and strata alternatives

A traditional battle-axe lot is freehold, with the leg owned by the rear lot. Some states offer another way to share a driveway, where it sits in common property instead:

NSW: strata and community title schemes have their own legislation, and LEP minimum lot size rules can still prevent a strata subdivision in some areas.
VIC: subdividing existing buildings or creating a shared driveway as common property adds building compliance and an owners corporation.
QLD: reconfiguring a lot includes dividing land into parts by agreement, such as a community titles scheme.
SA: Land Services SA describes community title as at least two lots plus common property, which "typically includes the service infrastructure and driveways that are shared". New strata divisions can no longer be created.
WA: survey-strata lots need WAPC approval through the same Form 1A as green title lots. Landgate says common property is jointly owned by all lot owners and is not in any lot, and the strata company is made up of all the owners.
TAS: strata schemes fall under the Strata Titles Act 1998, a separate pathway.
ACT: a unit title keeps one Crown lease. In RZ1 it is allowed only once all dwellings are lawfully built, on a standard block of at least 600 m² or on a non-standard block.
NT: a unit title scheme cannot give a separate title to an independent unit.

Some rules also allow a right-of-way instead of a leg owned by the rear lot, as Kingborough's performance criteria do. Which title type suits a site is a question for your surveyor.

What is changing

Several proposals affect lot size or battle-axe rules. None of these was in force when checked in early October 2026:

NSW: Northern Beaches Council's draft LEP would exclude access corridors from lot size for dual occupancy. See Northern Beaches draft LEP.
WA: the proposed R-Codes reform would abolish the average lot size requirement for land coded R20 and below; frontage and any battle-axe access leg would still matter. See WA R-Codes reform.
NT: amendment PA2026/0205 would allow battle-axe lots in Zone LR where needed because of site irregularity or to retain an existing dwelling. See NT proposed 450 m² lots and battle-axe lots.

In the ACT, RZ1 changes in force since 1 July 2026 allow blocks of at least 350 m², not counting any battle-axe handle. See ACT Missing Middle reforms.

What to check on your block

These questions usually decide whether a battle-axe layout can work:

Where the house sits. Is there a clear strip down one side wide enough for the leg (for example 4 m at R2 to R40 in WA, or 3.5 m in Camden), clear of eaves and other protrusions?
Room for the driveway and parking. Can the front house keep its required parking and turning space once the leg is taken out?
The crossover. Can a crossover for the rear lot meet the road authority's requirements?
Sewer, water and stormwater to the rear. Can the rear lot connect to sewer, water and stormwater, and does a main cross the block where the boundary would go?
Trees. Would the leg or building area need a protected tree removed? In the ACT, for example, a tree on leased land is protected if it is 8 m or taller, among other tests.
Easements and title. Do easements, rights of way or covenants on the title sit where the leg or rear building area would go?
Lot area after the leg. Does the rear "head" reach the minimum on its own where the leg is excluded?
Heritage and character. Is the block in a heritage or character area where battle-axe subdivision is restricted?

To see how these checks are set out for one property, view our sample report. See also can I subdivide my block? and the state guides: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.

Check your own block

A Subdivision Checker report applies these rules to one address, covering planning and zoning, heritage, environment, bushfire, flood, servicing, contamination and title, plus indicative costs. It is a starting point, not a substitute for a licensed surveyor or town planner. Order a report for your address.

Frequently asked questions

What is a battle-axe block?

A battle-axe block is a rear lot that reaches the street through a narrow strip of land, called an access leg, handle or access strip, which usually carries the driveway and services. WA's Operational Policy 2.2 describes the strip as part of the lot. It is also called a hatchet, rear, hammerhead or internal lot.

Does the access leg count towards the minimum lot size?

Often it does not, but it depends on the rule. Camden Council's DCP in NSW requires 600 m² excluding the access handle, Kingborough's interim scheme in Tasmania does not count a fee simple access strip, and ACT minimum block areas exclude any battle-axe handle. In WA, Table D of the R-Codes has a separate rear battle-axe lot area for single houses, and the R-Codes have their own rules on how the leg is counted.

How wide does a battle-axe access leg need to be?

It varies. In WA, Operational Policy 2.2 says the leg should be at least 4 m wide at R2 to R40, or 3.6 m at R50 and above. Camden Council's DCP asks for at least 3.5 m where the handle serves one additional lot and 5 m where it serves two, with a 50 m maximum length. In Tasmania's General Residential Zone, a rear lot relying on the performance criterion needs a frontage or right of carriageway not less than 3.6 m wide.

Can I put a battle-axe lot on my block and keep the house?

That is the usual reason for the layout, but the front house still has to work on its smaller lot. In Tasmania, a retained house should be consistent with the setbacks to the new boundary. In WA, the WAPC generally requires no eaves or other protrusions into the driveway, and room for the required parking and safe vehicle manoeuvring.

Are battle-axe lots allowed everywhere?

No. WA's Operational Policy 2.2 says the configuration is not favoured. The NT Planning Scheme currently says there are no battle-axe lots unless a variation is approved, although a proposed amendment would allow them in Zone LR in limited cases. Logan does not permit rear lots in some precincts, and Kingborough's acceptable solution is that no lot is an internal lot.

Sources

This guide is general information only, current at October 2026. Rules, fees and maps change, and every block is different. Speak to a licensed surveyor or town planner about your property.