Melbourne permits guide

Do I need a permit for trade work in Melbourne?

Most plumbing, electrical, gas, structural, and significant exterior work in Victoria requires a permit or Compliance Certificate. Cosmetic work — painting, flooring, replacing fittings like-for-like — generally does not. The licensed contractor doing the work is responsible for confirming permit requirements and lodging the paperwork before starting.

Building Permits vs Planning Permits — what's the difference?

In Victoria, two separate approval systems run side-by-side and many jobs need both. A Building Permit confirms the work meets the Building Code of Australia and is issued by a Registered Building Surveyor (private or council-employed). A Planning Permit confirms the work is allowed on that land under the local planning scheme and is issued by your local council.

Most internal renovations only need a Building Permit. Anything that affects the external appearance of a heritage-listed property, multi-unit development, building on flood or bushfire-prone land, or removing a significant tree generally needs a Planning Permit first. Check your VicPlan property report to see which overlays apply to your address.

When you need a permit in Melbourne

Eleven common trade and home-improvement scenarios, mapped to the Victorian permit or certificate they require, who applies for it, and the typical fee range. Always confirm specifics with your Registered Building Practitioner, the Victorian Building Authority, or your local council before starting work — regulations update regularly.

Who applies for the permit — homeowner or contractor?

For Building Permits, the Registered Building Practitioner you engage normally appoints the Building Surveyor and lodges the application on your behalf. For Plumbing Compliance Certificates and Electrical Certificates of Safety, the licensed plumber or electrical contractor lodges the certificate directly with the VBA or Energy Safe Victoria after the work — by law, those certificates are theirs to issue, not yours.

When a contractor offers to do prescribed work without a Compliance Certificate or asks you to register as an owner-builder so they can avoid responsibility, that is a red flag. Owner-builder registration shifts liability — including the Domestic Building Insurance burden — onto you, not them. Use our verified contractor directory to find licensed trades who issue their own certificates as a matter of course.

Owner-builders can apply directly for Building Permits on their primary residence. Anyone doing domestic building work over $16,000 on their own home must complete the VBA Owner-Builder course and obtain a Certificate of Consent before applying.

How the permit process works

The same six-step process runs for most Building Permits. Plumbing and electrical work skip the Building Surveyor step but still issue Compliance Certificates. Trade certificates issue within 5 business days of work completion. Building Permits typically take 2–4 weeks; Planning Permits can take 8–12+ weeks.

1. 1

   Confirm your work needs a permit

   Check the Victorian Building Authority website or your local council's building services page. For prescribed plumbing or electrical work the licensed contractor will know — ask them to confirm in writing what certificate or permit applies.

2. 2

   Hire a registered practitioner (or qualify as an owner-builder)

   Building work over $10,000 in Victoria must be done by a VBA-Registered Building Practitioner. Plumbing requires a VBA Plumbing Licence. Electrical requires a Registered Electrical Contractor under Energy Safe Victoria. Owner-builders must register with the VBA before applying for a Building Permit on jobs over $16,000.

3. 3

   Engage a Building Surveyor (for Building Permits)

   Building Permits are issued by a Building Surveyor — either a private RBP-BS or your council's municipal surveyor. The Building Practitioner usually engages and pays the surveyor, but on owner-builder jobs the homeowner appoints them directly.

4. 4

   Apply for the Planning Permit if your property is in an overlay

   If your land is subject to a heritage, design and development, neighbourhood character, flood, or bushfire overlay, you typically need a Planning Permit from your local council before the Building Permit can issue. Check your VicPlan property report at mapshare.vic.gov.au.

5. 5

   Pay fees and the Building Permit Levy

   Pay the Building Surveyor's permit fee plus the Victorian Building Permit Levy (0.128% of construction cost on jobs over $10,000). Council Planning Permit fees are separate. For Domestic Building work over $16,000, the builder must take out Domestic Building Insurance.

6. 6

   Have the work inspected and obtain Occupancy/Compliance

   The Building Surveyor inspects mandatory stages and issues an Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection. Plumbers issue a Compliance Certificate; electricians issue a Certificate of Electrical Safety. Keep every certificate — your conveyancer and any future buyer will ask for them.

Domestic Building Insurance — what is it?

For any domestic building work over $16,000 in Victoria, the builder must take out Domestic Building Insurance (DBI) before they can take any deposit. DBI protects the homeowner if the builder dies, disappears, or becomes insolvent before completing the job, or if defects emerge within the warranty period.

DBI is mandatory and not optional — a builder cannot legally start a job over $16,000 without lodging the certificate. Always sight the DBI certificate before paying any deposit. The certificate names you, the build address, and the contract value, and is issued by the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA).

What happens if you skip the permit

Unpermitted work in Victoria can void your home insurance, fail at home-sale conveyancing, trigger Building Notices and Building Orders from the council, and leave you personally liable. The cost of rectification orders and retroactive Building Permits usually exceeds the original permit fee by 5–10×.

Insurance companies routinely deny claims tied to unpermitted electrical, plumbing, or gas work. If a basement rewire that was never certified causes a fire, the insurer's investigator will find the missing Certificate of Electrical Safety and the claim will be denied — leaving you with the cost of the rebuild.

At sale, your conveyancer typically orders a property information statement from council. Unpermitted renovations and missing Compliance Certificates often delay settlement, force discount renegotiation, or kill deals outright. Get the certificates. The fee is worth it.

How to check past permits on a Melbourne property

Contact your local council's building services team and request a property information statement (often called a Section 326 or Section 51 certificate). It lists every Building Permit issued at the address and any outstanding Building Notices or Orders.

You can also search the VBA register of Building Permits and the Energy Safe Victoria Certificate of Electrical Safety register. Conveyancers usually pull these as part of a contract of sale due-diligence — but new buyers should ask their conveyancer to confirm explicitly that prior renovations were permitted before signing.

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