If your vehicle has been damaged as a direct result of hitting a pothole, please note that Council will generally not be liable for the cost of repairing that damage.

Potholes can form on roads for many different reasons. For example, significant rainfall, and patterns of intense and prolonged wet weather, can often lead to road damage.

Although we know rain can increase the number of potholes across roads, we don’t know where potholes are, or how many there might be, until they are reported to us.

After a pothole is reported, we add it to a list of prioritised works so repairs can be done. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to repair potholes as soon as they are reported to Council.

The existence of a pothole does not automatically make Council liable. For us to pay compensation, you would need to prove that we were negligent; for example, that we knew about the specific pothole, and failed to take action to repair it in a reasonable amount of time before your incident.

If you think Council has been negligent about repairing a pothole and want to make a claim, you can apply using the form on this page. You will need to attach proof to support your claim. Please note that filling out this form does not mean Council accepts liability for your claim.

If you don’t have evidence to show that Council was negligent, you may wish to speak to your insurer.

Help avoid pothole damage

You can help avoid pothole damage for yourself and others by reporting road damage to Council as soon as you notice a problem.

We also ask people to slow down and drive to conditions, particularly during and after heavy rain.