A building line is the distance the land use scheme requires you to keep between a structure and each boundary of the erf — one from the street, and one from each side and rear boundary. They exist to preserve light and air between buildings, to keep the streetscape consistent, and to leave room for services and maintenance. A relaxation asks the municipality to reduce one of them for your property. It is a departure, and the most frequently lodged one — which is why it has a page of its own rather than sitting among the others.
Most owners discover the building line mid-design, or after something has already been built. In our experience, these are the four situations that call for a relaxation.
Speak to the affected neighbour before you lodge anything. Written support turns this into the simplest application in planning; an objection turns it into one of the more frustrating. That conversation is worth having early and in person.
Setbacks differ between schemes and between zonings. What holds everywhere is that the boundary affected determines how hard the relaxation is to win.
The most commonly granted. Where the neighbour supports it and no window is affected, the case is usually straightforward.
Harder, because the street building line protects the streetscape and sight lines. Visibility at the access usually decides it.
Overlooking into the neighbour’s private garden is the concern. Window placement and screening carry the argument.
Setbacks from both streets leave a narrow envelope. The secondary street frontage is usually the one worth relaxing.
Approving what exists rather than what is proposed. Longstanding structures with no complaint are the easier version.
The shortest submission on this list. Most of it is drawings, and the strongest single item costs nothing to obtain.
Written support from the neighbour whose boundary is affected. Not always required, and always worth having — it is the difference between a fortnight and a year.
The erf, the building lines, and the structure measured against them. The relaxation sought is shown as a dimension, not described in prose.
Why the setback can be reduced without undermining what it protects: light, air, streetscape, privacy and access for services.
What the structure will look like from the affected boundary, and where its windows fall in relation to the neighbouring property.
What the municipality already holds for the property, which establishes what is lawful now and what the application is adding.
A recent title deed showing any registered building line condition, and authority for us to lodge and act.
A building line can also be registered against the title deed, separately from the one the scheme imposes. Relaxing the scheme’s setback does not touch it — and a relaxation granted against a title condition that survives leaves you no better off than before.
The shortest statutory period of any land use application. Where the neighbour supports it, phase three is where most of the time is saved.
What the scheme requires on each boundary, what the title deed adds, and how far the structure encroaches.
The affected neighbour is approached for written support. This happens before lodgement, not after an objection arrives.
Drawings, motivation and consents are submitted. Where notice is required, the statutory period runs from the close of the administrative phase.
Granted, granted in part, or refused. A partial grant might allow the side boundary and refuse the street.
Plans are lodged or resubmitted against the relaxed setback. The relaxation delivers nothing until they are approved.
| Relaxation | Typical duration | Decided by |
|---|---|---|
| Neighbour consents | 2–3 months | Authorised official |
| Neighbour objects | 6–12 months | Municipal Planning Tribunal |
| Statutory decision period | 30 days after the administrative phase | Prescribed by the by-law |
The least expensive application we lodge, provided the neighbour is on side. Four things move the figure.
By a distance the largest variable. A supported relaxation is a short submission; an opposed one means a Tribunal hearing and expert evidence.
One side boundary is straightforward. A corner erf needing both street lines relaxed is two arguments, two affected parties and two sets of drawings.
Where an architect has already produced plans, the application builds on them. Where nothing has been drawn, the site plan and elevations come first.
A building line registered against the title is a separate application. Relaxing the scheme setback alone leaves it in place.
Set it against the alternative. Redesigning an extension to fit inside the setback, or losing the garage entirely, usually costs more than the application does — and where a structure is already built, the comparison is with demolishing it. That calculation is worth running before you decide either way.
A relaxation is usually one step in a small project. These four are the applications most often needed alongside it, before it, or straight after.
What homeowners, architects and builders ask us most often about setbacks.
Send us the erf number and the boundary you need to build over.
Send us the erf number and the boundary you need to build over. We will tell you what the setback is, how far you would be encroaching, and whether the relaxation is one worth applying for. Initial consultations carry no obligation.
35 Fricker Road, Illovo, Sandton · Building line relaxations across the Gauteng City-Region.