About Permits

What permits may be required?

A building permit, a planning permit or both may be required for building work you are proposing. Your building surveyor will examine all documents submitted and respond with any other requirements needed before a building permit may be approved.

Your building surveyor will need to know if a Town Planning Permit is required. If your building surveyor is unable to clearly determine whether a Town Planning permit is required by ringing the local council and asking, he may require a PIC (Planning Information Certificate) to clarify their requirements. A PIC will confirm if a Town Planning Permit is required. 

If you propose to build over an easement, you will need permission from both the sewer authority and the storm water authority. Each authority has different fees and different requirements.

The Build Over Stormwater approval is managed by your local councils engineering department. Many councils are now also requesting Sect 173 agreements. These are legal agreements drawn up to protect council assets and to stop owners from being able to sue them if their easement causes damage to the proposed building. To get build over easement approvals complete through both stormwater and sewer authorities can a long time. Depending on the council, expect between 3 and 6 months. The cost also varies dramatically.

Your building surveyor may also advise that council consent is required for one or more regulations under Part 4 of the Building Regulations (See Council Consents).

Your building surveyor will need to identify the Class of building you are proposing. The BCA classifies buildings by their use. A building may be made up of a number of classes if it has a mixed use. The BCA identifies the following building classes:

Class 1(a)
single dwelling or attached dwellings (eg: a terrace, duplex, etc) where each dwelling is separated by a fire wall.
Class 1(b)
one or more buildings that constitute a boarding house, guest house, hostel of small scale (ie: not exceeding 12 persons or 300m2 in floor area).
Class 2
a building containing 2 or more dwelling units (eg: flats, apartments).
Class 3
residential building for a number of persons such as a large scale boarding house, guest house, hostel, the residential part of a hotel, motel, school, etc.
Class 4
a dwelling unit that is a part of a commercial use (eg: a caretakers/managers flat).
Class 5
an office building.
Class 6
a shop or other building where goods or services are retailed directly to the public.
Class 7(a)
a car park building.
Class 7(b)
a storage building or building where goods are wholesaled (eg: a warehouse).
Class 8
a laboratory or a building where a process takes place (eg: factory, workshop, etc).
Class 9(a)
a health care building (eg: a hospital, clinic, etc).
Class 9(b)
an assembly building (eg: community hall, sports hall, etc)
Class 9(c)
an aged care building.
Class 10(a)
a non-habitable building being a private garage, shed, or the like.
Class 10(b)
a structure (eg: a fence, wall, mast, swimming pool, etc).

Most buildings built by B&G Sheds fall into the category of Class 10a, however on some occasions they are Class 7(b) or Class (9).

Why obtain a building permit?

A building permit ensures:

  • The required building practitioners are registered and carry the required insurances
  • Adequate documentation is prepared to enable proper and complying construction of the proposed building
  • An independent review of building documentation occurs
  • Key stages of the work are independently inspected
  • Your building is independently assessed as suitable for its purpose
  • Other benefits for owners include the certainty of compliance with building legislation prior to building work commencing

Penalties - What happens if you don't get a permit? 

Undertaking building work without obtaining the necessary building permit is a serious offence and can result in severe penalties. The Act prescribes a minimum penalty of $14,000 and up to $70,000 for any works carried out without a permit.

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To discuss your upcoming project, call us on (03) 9360 0022