Building Permits in Melbourne
Getting your planning permit, building surveyor and council consents lined up, so the building permit for your fit-out, change of use or development issues without a second round of redesign.
- A straight answer on which permits apply, before you spend on drawings
- Planning permit and building permit kept consistent by one team
- Change of use and Class 9b gym fit-outs, through to the occupancy permit
- Report and consent applications to council for siting variations
In Victoria, a building surveyor can't issue a building permit until any planning permit the project needs is in place, and the two have to match. Most building permit delays start with a planning problem nobody checked.
Prestige Town Planning manages the planning side of your Melbourne project and coordinates it through to the building permit.
Building permits are issued under the Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2018 by a registered building surveyor: either a private surveyor you appoint or council’s municipal building surveyor. We’re town planners, not building surveyors, and we don’t issue building permits. Our job is to have everything the surveyor needs from the planning system ready when they need it.
That means confirming whether a planning permit is required, getting it, satisfying its conditions, and briefing your surveyor so the building drawings match the endorsed plans. Where a design varies the siting rules, we prepare the report and consent application to council.
For businesses taking over a tenancy, it also means the building classification. A gym in a former shop or warehouse is generally a Class 9b building, and that change brings its own upgrade work and occupancy permit.
And if your works don’t need a planning permit at all, we’ll tell you that too. We don’t bill for work you don’t need.
Why Choose Us for Your Melbourne Building Permit
Class 9b fit-outs are our core work
Studio P Architecture has partnered with us on more than fifty projects over the past decade, and credits our understanding of Class 9b gymnasium requirements. Operators including an Anytime Fitness franchisee and Jym Group have used us across multiple sites.
One team across both permits
You deal with one planner who briefs your building surveyor, architect and consultants, so the planning permit and the building permit line up instead of contradicting each other.
Problems found before the surveyor finds them
We check planning triggers, permit conditions and siting rules before the drawings are finalised, so the building permit isn't held up waiting for a planning amendment.
Honest reads, not over-promises
If your site can't support what you're trying to build, you'll hear it on the first call. We'd rather lose a brief than walk a client into a refusal.
Melbourne Building Permit Services We Handle
Your registered building surveyor assesses and issues the building permit. We handle everything around it, and all of the below can be part of the same engagement.
Permit pathway check
We check whether your project needs a planning permit, a building permit, council consent or all three, and set the order they need to happen in. Some building work is exempt from a building permit, and plenty of projects need no planning permit.
Planning permits ahead of the building permit
Where a planning permit is required, we prepare and manage it, then prepare plans to satisfy its conditions so they can be endorsed. See our Melbourne planning permit services for the detail.
Building surveyor briefing and permit consistency
We brief your building surveyor on the planning permit and its endorsed plans, and check the building drawings against them before the building permit application goes in. Where the design has moved on, we sort out a section 72 amendment or secondary consent first.
Report and consent applications
Building work that varies the siting rules in Part 5 of the Building Regulations 2018, such as height, setbacks or overlooking, needs council’s report and consent before a building permit can issue. The prescribed time for council to report on a siting matter is 15 business days. We prepare the application and the case for the variation.
Change of use and building classification
Every building has a classification under the National Construction Code, and changing the use of a tenancy can change it. A gym, for example, is generally Class 9b. We get the planning permit for the new use and work with your surveyor on the classification, the upgrade works and the occupancy permit you’ll need before trading.
Demolition
Demolition needs a building permit, and council’s report and consent may be needed before it can issue, particularly where a Heritage Overlay applies. We check the planning controls before a demolition permit is applied for.
Permit timeframes and extensions
Building permits lapse if work doesn’t start or finish in time: generally 12 months to start, then 24 months to complete a house or outbuilding or 36 months for other building work. We track planning and building permit expiry dates together and arrange extensions before either lapses.
Occupancy and opening day
For most commercial buildings, the building surveyor issues an occupancy permit once the work is finished, and the business can’t lawfully occupy until it does. We close out the planning permit conditions that must be met before the use starts, so the planning side doesn’t hold up opening day.
Not sure which permits you need?
Most people calling us know what they want to build or open, not which permits it triggers. That’s normal, and it’s the first thing we work out. Tell us the address and what you want to do there.
Our Building Permit Coordination Process Explained
We don’t just lodge forms. We manage every permit the project needs, from the first check through to occupancy. Here’s how it runs for Melbourne projects.
Site
Assessment
We check the zone, overlays and any existing planning permit, plus the building's current classification and approved use, and confirm which permits and consents the project needs.
Planning
Advice
We set the order the permits need to happen in, flag anything that could hold up the building permit, and tell you which consultant reports are genuinely required.
Application
Preparation
We prepare and lodge the planning permit or amendment with council, then prepare plans to satisfy its conditions for endorsement.
Certification
& Coordination
We brief your building surveyor, prepare any report and consent application, and keep the building drawings consistent with the endorsed plans.
Post-Approval
Support
Through construction and fit-out we handle amendments, condition sign-offs and extensions, so the planning side doesn't hold up the occupancy permit.
We Specialise in Building Permit Coordination for
- Gym and fitness operators and franchisees fitting out a Class 9b tenancy
- Business operators opening cafés, restaurants, retail, medical or childcare premises in an existing building
- Multi-site brands rolling out fit-outs across Melbourne, regional Victoria and interstate
- Commercial landlords repositioning a tenancy for a new use
- Developers and builders who need the planning permit settled before the building permit
- Architects and designers who want the council side managed while they document the design
A tenancy’s current classification and approved use decide how much upgrade work a fit-out needs. Find out before you sign the lease, not after.
Proven Results That Speak for Themselves
With hundreds of successful projects across Australia, our numbers say it all.
Melbourne Building Permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Melbourne?
Building permits in Victoria are issued by registered building surveyors, either a private building surveyor the owner appoints or the council’s municipal building surveyor. Once a surveyor is appointed for a project, you generally can’t switch to another. Prestige Town Planning doesn’t issue building permits; we manage the planning side and coordinate with your surveyor.
Do I need a planning permit before a building permit?
Only if your project needs a planning permit. Where it does, a building surveyor can’t issue the building permit until the planning permit is in place, and the building permit has to be consistent with it. We check the planning controls first so the building permit isn’t held up.
Do I need a building permit to change the use of a tenancy?
Usually. Several Melbourne councils advise that any business changing the use of a building needs a building permit, even where the classification stays the same. A change to a gym generally makes the tenancy Class 9b, which can mean upgrades to exits, fire safety and access. Your building surveyor confirms the specific requirements.
What is a Class 9b building?
Class 9b is the National Construction Code classification for assembly buildings. It covers gyms and fitness studios, and can apply to childcare centres, some cafés and restaurants, and live music venues. It carries stricter requirements than a typical shop or warehouse, so moving into one usually means upgrade work and a new occupancy permit.
What is report and consent?
Report and consent is council’s approval for building work that doesn’t meet certain Building Regulations 2018 requirements, most often the Part 5 siting rules on height, setbacks and overlooking, or building over a council easement. Your building surveyor can’t issue the building permit until it’s granted. The prescribed time for council to report on a siting matter is 15 business days.
How long does a building permit last in Victoria?
Building work must generally start within 12 months of the building permit being issued. Houses and outbuildings must be finished within 24 months, and other building work within 36 months. An extension must be requested from your building surveyor before the relevant date passes.
What's the difference between a planning permit and a building permit?
A planning permit, issued by council, decides whether the use or development is appropriate for the site. A building permit, issued by a registered building surveyor, checks the building work against the Building Act 1993, the Building Regulations 2018 and the National Construction Code. Many projects need both, and the planning permit comes first.
Do you have an office in Melbourne?
No. Prestige Town Planning’s office is in East Gosford on the NSW Central Coast, and Melbourne projects are run remotely by phone, email and video. We attend site visits, council meetings and VCAT hearings in person as required.
How do we get started?
Call and tell us the address and what you want to build or open. You’ll get an initial read on which permits apply and the order they need to happen in, and if it’s worth going further we’ll scope the work and quote a fixed fee.
Tell us what you're building and we'll tell you what it needs
One conversation is usually enough to know which permits apply, the order they happen in, and what could hold up the building permit if nobody checks.