Domestic building approvals, made simple. Confidence Starts Here.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of common works that may require a building permit. If you’re unsure, get in touch with our friendly team and we’ll help confirm whether a building permit is required for your project:

Any structural alteration, including removing, replacing, repairing or modifying things like floor joists & bearers, load-bearing walls, lintels and window and door openings.

Even if a wall is not directly carrying load from above, it may be a bracing wall and thus a structural alteration. This also includes demolition of structures in most cases.

Changes to the internal layout including altering habitable room sizes, relocating or enlarging windows or installing or moving internal doors.

New construction, such as new homes, extensions, garages, carports, verandahs, all decks regardless of size, and similar structures.

Changing the use of a space with the most common example of garage conversions — turning a Class 10a garage into a habitable room such as a bedroom, office or gym.

Architectural Plans - Professional standard architectural drawings are required for almost all permits. While the Regulations don’t mandate that plans be prepared by an architect or designer, owner-drawn plans rarely meet the technical compliance required for assessment.

Structural Engineering - Most structural changes require a structural engineer to design and certify with drawings and a Regulation 126 Certificate of Compliance (Design).

Energy Efficiency Report - Any new dwelling and any extension to an existing habitable space that is more than 10% of the floor area of the original building will require an energy report, either to NatHERS or via elemental provisions or performance solution.

Council Documentation - You may need council documents such as a Regulation 133 Legal Point of Discharge, Regulation 51(2) Property Information Statement, Flood level information, Regulation 130 Build over Easement consent, Planning permit or others.

You will need a recent copy of your title, plan of subdivision, any covenants or caveats on your title, any section 173 agreements registered on your title and, if applicable, the owner’s corporation statement.

Further documentation may be required on a case-by-case basis; however, this will get you most of the way there. May include – Soil reports, Bushfire Attack Level assessment, Septic approvals, etc.

During assessment, it is certainly more common than not to require an applicant to respond to a Request for Further Information (RFI). Once issued, this pauses the job until the items on the RFI are addressed either through amended plans or additional documents.

In practice, this means you’ll return to your design team and potentially add to it to meet all required compliance items. As building surveyors, we cannot proceed to permit issue until all items are addressed.

We will often provide general guidance and information on common compliance issues, including potential pathways to resolution, the documentation typically required to achieve compliance, and the types of consultants who provide it. Final approvals can only be obtained as part of the formal assessment process.

Our typical timeframes for a domestic permit are assessment within a week of appointment and issuance within a week of the final documentation being provided. Large or complex jobs may extend this timeline, and simple jobs, such as the construction of a domestic shed or carport, may be significantly more prompt.

When we are required to issue a Request for Information (RFI), this timeline is paused until all required documents are received. Our office does not typically re-assess a permit for compliance until every RFI item has been addressed per submission; again, this may be varied for large or complex jobs with many items.

In Victoria, for domestic construction, a building permit expires if work does not start within 12 months or is not completed within 24 months. Pool and spa works must be completed within 6 months of commencement.

Commencement is defined as the date of the first mandatory inspection being undertaken on the site, not as the date you bought the first materials or dug the first hole.

Extensions can be granted if requested before the permit expires. We may approve an extension where reasonable cause is demonstrated—such as delays in contractor availability, supply issues, or planning constraints. Once a permit has expired, reinstatement requires a full assessment to the current version of the NCC and further compliance items may be required to issue the new building permit.

Any change to the approved design, whether structural, architectural, or ancillary must be formally assessed by our office. This usually requires amended plans, updated engineering, and sometimes revised energy compliance.

We must confirm that the variation still meets the NCC and Building Regulations before work continues and, in some cases, issue an amended building permit where changes are significant.
If variations are carried out without approval, we may issue a direction to fix, a building notice or order, or require retrospective documentation.

A planning permit may be required depending on zoning, overlays, bushfire requirements, heritage controls, or specific triggers under the planning scheme. Our office will assess this as part of the initial assessment of your job, and you will be advised if there is a trigger or potential trigger that requires further action from council.  Planning approval is separate from the building permit and must be obtained prior to issue if required.

Council or other authorities (e.g., the water authority) may also be required to consent to aspects of a project and issue documents such as a Legal Point of Discharge, a Build Over Easement consent, or a Septic Permit to Install.

The building permit addresses construction compliance under the NCC and the Building Regulations. Many projects require only a building permit, but where planning applies, both approvals are necessary and must be sequenced correctly.

Mandatory inspections for domestic work typically include footings, slab or sub-floor frame, frame, and final. Additional inspections may be required depending on the nature of the project—such as waterproofing, pool barriers, fire safety or items covered by performance solutions. Each inspection ensures the work complies with the approved plans and relevant standards.

The builder must notify the surveyor when each stage is ready. Work should not proceed past a mandatory stage until the inspection has been completed and approved. The BPC is quite strict about this and penalties are severe. We also have a mandatory requirement to report it if and when it occurs under Section 33 of the Building Act 1993.

For the final inspection, we require the building to be complete and safe, with all mandatory compliance certificates provided—such as plumbing, electrical, termite management, waterproofing, and energy compliance documentation.

Smoke alarms, balustrades, ventilation, and safety elements must be installed. Wet areas must be complete; your kitchen must be in place, and your heating and cooling appliances must be functional. You must have completed all access paths to the dwelling and have complied with all conditions of your building permit.

To issue the Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection, we must be satisfied that the building meets all regulatory requirements and that all documentation aligns with the approved permit.