Renovation approvals
My home: does this renovation need approval
Kitchen, bathroom, deck, pergola, carport, fence, shed, garage conversion, pool. Enter your address and see which of them needs nothing, which needs a certificate and which needs the council, at this address rather than in general.
No signup. The address is used to read the heritage, flood and zoning layers over your lot.
Eleven jobs, and where each one lands
The VIC position on an ordinary residential lot. Enter an address to apply the overlays on your own.
KitchenNo approvalWork inside the house that touches nothing structural is not development anyone has to approve.
Stay inside these
This one has no measurements. It is a test of what you touch, not of how big it is.
- Nothing that carries load can be touched.
- The layout of the room cannot change and an open area cannot be enclosed.
- Electrical and plumbing work still has to be done by a licensed tradesperson and certified.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Not required for work that stays inside the limits above.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 items 3 and 4 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about KitchenBathroomNo approvalWork inside the house that touches nothing structural is not development anyone has to approve.
Stay inside these
This one has no measurements. It is a test of what you touch, not of how big it is.
- Nothing that carries load can be touched.
- Wet area waterproofing is a building code requirement and is certified on its own, whether or not anyone had to approve the job.
- Electrical and plumbing work still has to be done by a licensed tradesperson and certified.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Not required for work that stays inside the limits above.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 items 3 and 4 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about BathroomInternal alterationsNo approvalWork inside the house that touches nothing structural is not development anyone has to approve.
Stay inside these
This one has no measurements. It is a test of what you touch, not of how big it is.
- The layout of the room cannot change and an open area cannot be enclosed.
- A building permit is still required even though no planning approval is.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
It depends what you touch. Small and non structural, no. Anything beyond that, yes.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2 and cl 32.08-5; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 item 4 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about Internal alterationsDeckBuilding approval onlyNo planning approval, but the building work itself still has to be approved.
Stay inside these
- Floor no more than 0.8 m above the ground(measured from the ground as it is now, not from a level you build up to)
- A building permit is still required even though no planning approval is.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Required. A certifier or surveyor has to approve the building work.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2; no deck exemption in Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about DeckPergola or patioNo approvalStay inside the numbers below and nobody has to approve this.
Stay inside these
- Floor no more than 0.8 m above the ground(measured from the ground as it is now, not from a level you build up to)
- Height no more than 3 m
- Floor area no more than 20 m²(The building permit exemption is for an open unroofed frame only. A roofed patio or verandah is not a pergola.)
- The building permit exemption is for an open unroofed frame only. A roofed patio or verandah is not a pergola.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
It depends what you touch. Small and non structural, no. Anything beyond that, yes.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 item 16 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about Pergola or patioCarportBuilding approval onlyNo planning approval, but the building work itself still has to be approved.
Stay inside these
- Lot at least 300 m²(On a lot under 300 m² the zone triggers a permit and this row stops applying.)
- On a lot under 300 m² the zone triggers a permit and this row stops applying.
- A building permit is still required even though no planning approval is.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Required. A certifier or surveyor has to approve the building work.
Source
VPP cl 32.08-5; no garage or carport exemption in Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about CarportFenceNo approvalStay inside the numbers below and nobody has to approve this.
Stay inside these
- Side and rear fence no higher than 2 m
- Front fence no higher than 1.5 m
- Wall height no more than 1.2 m(A masonry or concrete fence has its own, lower limit.)
- On a lot under 300 m² the zone triggers a permit and this row stops applying.
- The state publishes no number for this. Ask the council for theirs.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Not required for work that stays inside the limits above.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2 and cl 32.08-5; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 item 10 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about FenceGarden shedNo approvalStay inside the numbers below and nobody has to approve this.
Stay inside these
- Floor area no more than 10 m²
- Height no more than 3 m
- At least 9 m behind the building line
- On a lot under 300 m² the zone triggers a permit and this row stops applying.
- A building permit is still required even though no planning approval is.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Not required for work that stays inside the limits above.
Source
VPP cl 32.08-5; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 item 1 · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about Garden shedGarage conversionBuilding approval onlyNo planning approval, but the building work itself still has to be approved.
Stay inside these
This one has no measurements. It is a test of what you touch, not of how big it is.
- Turning a garage into a room changes the class of the building, and that is what takes it out of every simple pathway.
- A building permit is still required even though no planning approval is.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Required. A certifier or surveyor has to approve the building work.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2 and cl 32.08-5; no Sch 3 exemption for a class change · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about Garage conversionSecond storeyBuilding approval onlyOn the My Block pageNo planning approval, but the building work itself still has to be approved.
Stay inside these
- Lot at least 300 m²(On a lot under 300 m² the zone triggers a permit and this row stops applying.)
- On a lot under 300 m² the zone triggers a permit and this row stops applying.
- This one belongs to the land report, not to this page.
- A building permit is still required even though no planning approval is.
- An overlay puts the permit back. The exemption is written to stop applying wherever a permit is specifically required.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Required. A certifier or surveyor has to approve the building work.
Source
VPP cl 32.08-5; VicSmart cl 59.03 on a lot under 300 m² · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about Second storeySwimming poolBuilding approval onlyNo planning approval, but the building work itself still has to be approved.
Stay inside these
- Water no deeper than 0.3 m(Anything that can hold water deeper than 300 mm is caught, a portable one included.)
- Anything that can hold water deeper than 300 mm is caught, a portable one included.
- The child resistant barrier is its own law with its own penalties, and it applies whether or not the pool itself needed approval.
- The pool has to be registered, and the barrier certified again on a cycle.
- A building permit is still required even though no planning approval is.
Overlays on this lot
No address, so no overlay was read. This row is the clean lot position.
Building approval
Required. A certifier or surveyor has to approve the building work.
Source
VPP cl 62.02-2; Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Sch 3 item 8 and Part 9A · read 2026-09-15
Read the clauseMore about Swimming poolEvery threshold is read from the instrument named on its row, on the date shown. Council controls sit on top of all of them and are not in this table.
What other people paid for the same job
Published projects with the price attached and a badge saying where the number came from. Nothing here is estimated by us.
Published projects in Kitchen and bathroom · Whole home renovation · Alterations and additions, most recent first.
Kitchen and bathroomThe Rocks NSWNo price publishedPublished by builder岩石区遗产住宅浴室翻新
4 weeks
Kitchen and bathroomHunters Hill NSWNo price publishedPublished by builder亨特山浴室翻新项目
4 weeks
Kitchen and bathroomLittle Bay NSWNo price publishedPublished by builderLittle Bay浴室翻新项目
4 weeks
Kitchen and bathroomGladesville NSWNo price publishedPublished by builderGladesville 浴室翻新
3 weeks
Kitchen and bathroomBalmain NSWNo price publishedPublished by builder巴尔曼浴室翻新项目
3 weeks
Kitchen and bathroomRandwick NSWNo price publishedPublished by builder兰德威克浴室翻新项目
Kitchen and bathroomHornsby NSWNo price publishedPublished by builderHornsby卫生间黑白风格翻新
Kitchen and bathroomHornsby NSWNo price publishedPublished by builder霍恩斯比黑白风浴室翻新
Kitchen and bathroomCastle Hill NSWNo price publishedPublished by builderCastle Hill 浴室翻新项目
Who did these jobsThe builders and trades credited on the projects above. Not a paid list.
Three things to settle before the first tradesman arrives
None of them is on the quote, and all three can stop the job after it has started.
Heritage and conservation areas
A heritage item or a conservation area removes most of the easy answers on this page. Check your own address to find out which one you are on.
Read off the state planning layer. It does not say which kind of listing it is, and the kinds do not have the same effect.
Asbestos
If your house was built before 1990, fibro sheeting, eaves, wet area linings and vinyl backing may contain asbestos. Every state requires a licensed removalist above a small quantity, and the rules bind the homeowner as well as the builder.
We do not know the year your house was built and we do not guess it. Nothing in the land data says so.
Strata and the owners corporation
If you own a unit, a villa or a townhouse, the owners corporation is a second approval sitting on top of everything on this page.
Read off the lot identifier in the cadastre.
Extending, or adding a storey
A renovation that makes the house bigger is a different question with a different answer, and it has its own door. The land report works out whether the state fast track is open for an extension on your block, how long this council takes and what the neighbours declared.
Open the land report