Building permit for a renovation.
Many kitchen and bathroom renovations in Victoria need no building permit. Work that touches the structure, such as removing a load-bearing wall or restumping, does.
Renovation work that is usually exempt
Repairs and alterations are exempt when they do not adversely affect the structural soundness of the building, the safety of the public or the occupiers, or an essential safety measure, and meet the other conditions in Schedule 3. Alterations to a building on the Victorian Heritage Register are not exempt. Typical exempt work:
- Retiling a bathroom or kitchen.
- Replacing kitchen cabinets and benchtops.
- Replacing wall, ceiling or floor linings that are not fire-rated.
- Replacing a window with no change to the structure around it.
- Removing an internal wall that carries no load and is not a bracing wall.
Renovation work that needs a permit
- Removing or altering a load-bearing or bracing wall.
- Cutting a new window or door opening into a structural wall.
- Adding floor area or changing the height of the building.
- Restumping, underpinning or replacing footings.
- Any alteration that would project beyond the street alignment.
Larger renovations
If the renovation, together with any other alterations completed or permitted in the previous 3 years, relates to more than half the original volume of the house, regulation 233 requires the whole house to be brought into line with the current Regulations, unless the building surveyor consents to partial compliance.
Plumbing and electrical work
Plumbing and electrical work are covered by their own licences and compliance certificates. They do not need a building permit on their own, but they are often part of a renovation that does.
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.