Building Permits, Services & Land Manager's Consent

All building and demolition works undertaken in Victoria must meet specific standards.
These standards cover health, safety, amenity and energy efficiency matters and it is Council’s responsibility to ensure these are met.

When do you need a building permit?

Building Permits are required for most building works including:

• Alterations and extensions to dwellings
• New dwellings
• Signage
• Swimming pools
• Sheds
• Fences and retaining walls (in some instances)

You should always check before starting any building works to find out if a permit is required.

Planning permits

It is important not to confuse building permits with planning permits. Building permits relate to the method of construction of a building or development, whereas planning permits relate to using or developing a particular piece of land to be used or developed in a certain way.

Often you will require both a planning permit and a building permit, however depending on the circumstances, you may require one, or the other, or neither.

Contact Council to check what you require for your project before starting any works. 

Land Manager's Consent

All works on Council owned, managed or controlled land and buildings require consent of the "Land Manager" - being Council.

Consent is requested via an Application for Land Manager's Consent Form by the applicant prior to works taking place. If consent is issued it may be with various conditions and/or permits that will be explained in the reply letter.

If the works include water and energy, please ensure they meet the mandatory requirements outlined in Council’s Water and Energy Use Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities. For more information, see the link below or contact Council’s Energy & Water Innovation Officer on 5018 8100. 

Building Search for records request

Owner/s or persons authorised in writing by an owner can request copies of building permits and approved plans for a specific property.

The Building Department has the ability to search within the last 50 years for a specific property. Please note that the older the building/s is, the less likely we are to have the required documentation. We also do not have documentation on every property and all building works in the municipality.

The search is conducted over multiple record keeping programs including an external record keeping company and can therefore take up to 12 weeks to complete.
To request a building search for records please complete the form below. If you have further questions, contact Council on 03 5018 8413

Building Records Search request