Building permit for a deck.
Victoria has no small-deck exemption. A deck attached to a house or a pool needs a building permit at any size, and so does a freestanding deck built as part of the house's outdoor living area.
What the permit covers
Schedule 3 of the Building Regulations 2018 has no exemption for decks. The permit covers:
- Footings, bearers and joists, and the spans between them.
- How the deck fixes to the house.
- The balustrade, stairs and landings.
- Siting and overlooking, for a raised deck.
Balustrades
- A deck needs a balustrade or other barrier where someone could fall 1 m or more to the surface below.
- The barrier must be at least 1 m high above the deck.
- Gaps in it must not let a 125 mm sphere through.
These requirements come from the National Construction Code.
Overlooking
Regulation 84 stops a deck giving a direct view into a neighbour's habitable room windows or secluded private open space within 9 m. It does not apply where the deck faces the boundary, is less than 800 mm above the ground at the boundary, and there is a visual barrier at least 1.8 m high at the boundary. Otherwise, a permanent, fixed screen with no more than 25% of its area open can meet it.
Decks beside a pool
A deck next to a pool or spa can form part of the safety barrier, or give a child a way over it. We check the deck and the barrier together. See building permits for pools and spas.
Request a quote
Request a quote online, or email what you have to info@cortekgroup.com.au, and we will quote a fixed fee for your building permit. For the permit itself we will need:
- The certificate of title and plan of subdivision, with any covenants or section 173 agreements
- Drawings issued for construction
- The engineer's drawings, computations and design certificate
- The planning permit and endorsed plans, if the project needs one
- If a builder is doing the work, the contract extract and, where it applies, the domestic building insurance certificate
- If you are an owner-builder, your certificate of consent from the BPC, where one is required
- A bushfire assessment, if the site is in a bushfire prone area
The full list is in our checklist for verandahs, carports, decks, sheds and garages.