Do I Need a Building Permit?

Most types of building work need a building permit. This can include, but not limited to:

• Construction of new dwellings
• Additions and renovations to dwellings
• Multi-unit residential developments
• Hotels and motels
• Commercial and industrial buildings
• Public buildings (schools, halls and community buildings)
• Garages, sheds, carports or roofed pergolas
• Swimming pools
• Packing sheds and machinery sheds
• Front fences, depending on height type of construction and distance from street alignment and points of intersection on corner allotment
• Side and rear allotment boundary fences which exceed 2m in height

If you don’t obtain a building permit

Under the Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2018 building work cannot start before a building permit is issued. You could be subject to prosecution and significant financial penalties for any work done without a building permit.

You may also have problems selling your property if details of all the building permits cannot be provided. You might also have to pay significant costs to fix building works done without a permit.

Lapsed building permits

Building permits lapse in the following situations

Domestic	Building works have not started within 12 months of the building permit date. Building works have not been completed within 2 years of the building permit date. Relocated dwellings have not started within 6 months of the building permit date. Relocated dwellings have not been completed within 12 months of the building permit date.
Commercial/industrial	Building works have not started within 12 months of the building permit date. Building works have not been completed within three years of the building permit date.
Swimming pools	Works which have not been completed (including safety barriers), within 6 months of the start of building work.

Where appropriate, Council’s Municipal Building Surveyor may grant an extension to start or complete works covered by a building permit issued by Council.

Building permits issued by private building surveyors can only be extended by the private building surveyor.

The start or completion periods can only be extended before the lapse of the permit.

The application to extend the time of a Council permit must include the following :

• Describes the stage of work
• The works to be completed
• Reasons for the extension of time
• Include the prescribed fee