Do You Need a Permit to Renovate in Victoria?

Building permit vs planning permit — what's the difference?

• Building permit: confirms your renovation meets structural, safety and building code requirements. Required for almost all structural work — removing walls, extensions, new bathrooms/kitchens involving plumbing changes, and most renovations beyond a cosmetic refresh. Issued by a registered building surveyor, not the council directly.
• Planning permit: confirms your renovation complies with local planning rules — height limits, setbacks, overlays (heritage, vegetation, flood) and neighbourhood character. Not every renovation needs one; it depends on your property's zoning and any overlays that apply to it.

You can need one, both, or occasionally neither (very minor cosmetic work like re-tiling or repainting typically needs neither).

When you're more likely to need a planning permit

• Your property sits within a heritage overlay — common across Boroondara (Hawthorn, Kew, Camberwell), and present in pockets of many other inner and established Melbourne suburbs. External changes almost always need a planning permit here; in some heritage precincts, internal changes can too.
• You're extending upward (second storey) or significantly changing the building's height or footprint.
• Your block has a vegetation, flood, or significant landscape overlay.
• You're close to a side or rear boundary and need a setback variation (e.g. for a granny flat or extension).

What usually only needs a building permit (no planning permit)

• Internal renovations that don't touch the building's structure or footprint (most kitchen and bathroom renovations, if you're not in a heritage overlay or changing the exterior).
• Single-storey extensions that comply with standard setback and height rules under the relevant planning scheme (VicSmart or code-assessable pathways can apply, which are faster).
• Like-for-like replacement of existing structures.

How permits affect your timeline

• Building permit only: typically adds 2–4 weeks to your project timeline once your design is finalised, assuming no issues.
• Planning permit required: typically adds 4–12+ weeks, since council assessment (and possible public notification for larger changes) takes longer than a building surveyor's building permit review.
• Heritage overlay properties: budget extra time and expect more back-and-forth on materials and external appearance, particularly for anything visible from the street.

How to avoid permit surprises

• Ask your builder to check your specific address against council overlay maps before finalising a design — not after.
• If you're in a heritage suburb, budget the extra planning-permit time into your project schedule from day one, rather than treating it as a risk.
• Get quotes that clearly state who is responsible for obtaining permits (usually the builder, via a registered building surveyor) and whether permit costs are included in your fixed price.
• Never start structural work before permits are issued — unpermitted work can create real problems at resale.

Frequently asked questions