Victoria · Planning guide

Fast track approvals in Victoria

Victoria has three speeds. Some work needs no planning permit at all under the Clause 62 exemptions and the zone's own no permit list. Some work needs a permit but qualifies as VicSmart, a streamlined class decided without notice or third party review against a short list of matters. Everything else is a standard planning permit. A building permit under the Building Act is a separate requirement that applies regardless of the planning pathway.

Sources read on 9 September 2026. Provisions are quoted word for word from the instrument.

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Work that needs no planning permit

Clause 62.02 lists buildings and works that never need a planning permit, and a second list that needs none unless the scheme specifically requires one. The second list is the useful one for homeowners. It covers fences, repairs and routine maintenance, domestic services normal to a dwelling, a rainwater tank up to 10,000 litres, a domestic swimming pool or spa with one dwelling on the lot, low decks and open pergolas, disabled access ramps and solar systems on a building.

The residential zones add their own no permit list for a single dwelling. In the General Residential Zone no permit is needed for works normal to a dwelling, for an outbuilding other than a garage or carport of up to 10 square metres and 3 metres high, or for structural changes that do not increase the size of the dwelling or the number of dwellings.

Demolition generally needs no planning permit unless a provision specifically requires one. The Heritage Overlay is the usual provision that does. Every exemption in Clause 62 gives way where a permit is specifically required, which is why an overlay at the parcel can turn an exempt job into a permit application.

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 62.02-2, Buildings and works not requiring a permit unless specifically required by the planning scheme
Any requirement in this scheme relating to the construction of a building or the construction or carrying out of works, other than a requirement in the Public Conservation and Resource Zone, does not apply to: A fence.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 62.02-2, Buildings and works not requiring a permit unless specifically required by the planning scheme
Repairs and routine maintenance to an existing building or works. Domestic services normal to a dwelling or small second dwelling. A rainwater tank with a capacity of not more than 10,000 litres. Bicycle pathways and trails. A television antenna. A flagpole. A domestic swimming pool or spa and associated mechanical and safety equipment if associated with one dwelling on a lot. An open-sided pergola or verandah to a dwelling or small second dwelling with a finished floor level not more than 800 mm above ground level and a maximum building height of three metres above ground level. A deck to a dwelling or small second dwelling with a finished floor level not more than 800 mm above ground level.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 62.02-2, closing sentence
This does not apply if a permit is specifically required for any of these matters.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 32.08-5 (General Residential Zone), No permit required
No permit is required to: Construct or carry out works normal to a dwelling. Construct or extend an out-building (other than a garage or carport) on a lot provided the gross floor area of the out-building does not exceed 10 square metres and the maximum building height is not more than 3 metres above ground level. Make structural changes to a dwelling provided the size of the dwelling is not increased or the number of dwellings is not increased.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 62.05, Demolition
A permit is not required for the demolition or removal of a building or works unless a permit is specifically required for demolition or removal.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

How VicSmart works

VicSmart is not a separate permit. It is a class of ordinary planning permit application that the scheme directs to be assessed a different way. Clause 71.06 sets the test. The application must be in a class the scheme names as VicSmart, a permit must be needed only under the provisions that name that class, the permit must not breach a registered restrictive covenant, and any referral authority must have already said in writing that it does not object.

Once an application is VicSmart, it is exempt from the notice requirements, the decision requirements and the third party review rights of the Act. The council may only consider the decision guidelines and requirements written for that class, plus any open space, garden area and maximum height rules that would otherwise apply. It is exempt from considering the Municipal Planning Strategy, the Planning Policy Framework and the general decision guidelines in Clause 65.

The second limb of the test is the one that most often defeats a VicSmart application. If a Heritage Overlay, Design and Development Overlay or any other provision at the parcel also requires a permit and does not itself name a VicSmart class for that work, the application is assessed the ordinary way.

Two matters survive the VicSmart carve out and are worth checking before lodging. The council must still apply any public open space requirement in Clause 53.01 and any minimum garden area or maximum building height in the residential zone, because clause 71.06 carries those forward into the short list. A VicSmart application for two dwellings that breaches the garden area rule is not saved by the streamlined process, and a VicSmart subdivision still attracts the open space contribution.

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 71.06-1, VicSmart applications
An application is a VicSmart application if all of the following requirements are met: The application is in a class or classes specified in a provision of this planning scheme. A permit is required only under the provisions of this planning scheme that are specified as a VicSmart application, and not under any other provision of this planning scheme. Nothing authorised by the grant of a permit would result in a breach of a registered restrictive covenant. If the application requires referral to a referral authority under clause 66, the referral requirements in clause 71.06-2 are met.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 71.06-2, Exemption from notice and review
A VicSmart application is exempt from: The notice requirements of section 52(1)(a), (b), (c) and (d) of the Act. The decision requirements of section 64(1), (2) and (3) of the Act. The review rights of section 82(1) of the Act.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 71.06-2, Matters to be considered
Is exempt from considering the following matters: The requirements of section 60(1)(b), (c), (e) and (f) and (1A) (b) to (h) and (j) of the Act. The Municipal Planning Strategy and Planning Policy Framework unless the decision guidelines for the relevant class of application specify otherwise. The decision guidelines of the relevant zone, overlay or particular provision, other than those specified for VicSmart applications, unless the decision guidelines for the relevant class of application specify otherwise. The decision guidelines in clause 65.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 71.06-2, Matters to be considered
Must only consider: The decision guidelines and requirements specified for the relevant class of application. The following requirements that would otherwise be applicable to an application if it were not a VicSmart application: A public open space requirement in clause 53.01 or clause 43.06-8 or a schedule to those clauses. A minimum garden area requirement and a maximum building height requirement in a residential zone or a schedule to a residential zone.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

The residential VicSmart classes

The residential zones name several VicSmart classes. A single dwelling or a small second dwelling on a lot under 300 square metres is VicSmart if it meets the listed Clause 54 standards. One or two dwellings on a lot, with no more than two dwellings in total, is VicSmart if it meets the listed Clause 55 standards for street setback, height, setbacks, walls on boundaries, site coverage, access, tree canopy, front fences, daylight, north facing windows, overshadowing and overlooking.

Subdivision has its own classes: a boundary realignment where neither lot shrinks by 15 per cent or more, a subdivision of existing buildings, a two lot split matching an existing permit for up to two dwellings, and a two lot residential subdivision creating a vacant lot outside the excluded overlays and bushfire prone areas.

Clause 59 carries the information requirements and decision guidelines for each class. For a two dwelling VicSmart application the council must still consider the Clause 55 decision guidelines for any standard that is not met, so the fast path is only fast when the design actually meets the standards.

Councils can add local classes through the schedule to Clause 59.15, listed by zone, overlay and particular provision. What is in that schedule is different from one council to the next.

The information requirements in Clause 59 are also shorter than for a standard application, which is part of the speed, but they still include a copy of title and any registered restrictive covenant, because a covenant breach takes the application out of VicSmart altogether.

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 32.08-7 (General Residential Zone), VicSmart applications
Construct one dwelling if there is no more than one dwelling existing on a lot, extend a dwelling if there are two dwellings on a lot, or construct two dwellings on a lot, if the development meets the following standards of clause 55: clause 55.02-1 Street setback clause 55.02-2 Building height clause 55.02-3 Side and rear setbacks clause 55.02-4 Walls on boundaries clause 55.02-5 Site coverage clause 55.02-6 Access clause 55.02-7 Tree canopy clause 55.02-8 Front fences clause 55.04-1 Daylight to existing windows clause 55.04-2 Existing north-facing windows clause 55.04-3 Overshadowing secluded open space clause 55.04-4 Overlooking clause 55.05-2 Overshadowing domestic solar energy systems

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 32.08-3 (General Residential Zone), VicSmart applications
Subdivide land to realign the common boundary between two lots where: The area of either lot is reduced by less than 15 percent. The general direction of the common boundary does not change.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 32.08-6 (General Residential Zone), Permit requirement
A permit is required to construct or extend a small second dwelling on a lot of less than 300 square metres. A development must meet the requirements of Clause 54.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 71.06-2, Decision guidelines
Before deciding a VicSmart application to which clause 55 applies, the responsible authority must, if a standard in clause 55 is not met, consider the decision guidelines for the corresponding objective .

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 59.15, Local VicSmart applications
The schedule to this clause may specify classes of application that are VicSmart applications to which Clause 71.06 applies. A class of application specified must not be a class of VicSmart application specified in another provision of this planning scheme.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

The building permit is separate

None of the planning pathways above replaces a building permit. The Building Act 1993 makes it an offence to carry out building work without a building permit in force, and the owner must ensure one has been issued. The building permit is issued by a building surveyor, not the planning department, and it checks the Building Code and the Building Regulations rather than the planning scheme.

The Building Regulations 2018 do list building work that needs no building permit in Schedule 3. Item 1 is the common one: a freestanding Class 10a building such as a shed that has a floor area of 10 square metres or less, is no more than 3 metres high, with a lower height limit if it sits within a metre of a boundary, is not forward of the house, and is not masonry.

Where no planning permit applies to a house or a small second dwelling, the Building Regulations siting rules in Part 5 take over and a design that departs from them needs the report and consent of the council through the building surveyor. That consent step is often the slow part of an otherwise exempt job.

Building Act 1993 (Vic), Authorised Version No. 151, Section 16(1), Offences relating to carrying out building work
A person must not carry out building work unless a building permit in relation to the work has been issued and is in force under this Act.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Authorised Version No. 031, Regulation 23, Exemptions from building permits
A building permit is not required under the Act for the buildings and building work specified in column 2 of the Table in Schedule 3.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Authorised Version No. 031, Schedule 3, Item 1
Construction of a freestanding Class 10a building that— (a) has a floor area not exceeding 10 m2; and (b) is no more than 3 m in height or, if situated within 1 m of a boundary, is no more than 2·4 m in height; and (c) if appurtenant to a building of another Class on the same allotment, is located no further forward on the allotment than the front wall of the building to which it is appurtenant; and (d) if it is not appurtenant to a building of another Class on the same allotment, is the only Class 10a building on the allotment and is set back at least 9 m from the front street alignment and at least 2 m from each side street alignment; and (e) is not constructed of masonry.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Authorised Version No. 031, Regulation 74(4), Minimum street setbacks
The report and consent of the relevant council must be obtained to an application for a building permit in relation to a design that does not comply with this regulation.

Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026

What changes council by council in Victoria

The state instruments set the frame. These points are set by each council's own instrument or mapping, so the answer for an address depends on which council it sits in.

  • Local VicSmart classes are set in each council's schedule to Clause 59.15 and their information requirements in the schedule to Clause 59.16.
  • Overlays on the council's maps decide whether a job that is exempt or VicSmart under the zone falls back to a standard permit, because a permit required under any other provision takes it out of VicSmart.
  • The schedule to the zone can vary the Clause 54 and Clause 55 standards a VicSmart application must meet, and can set the maximum building height a VicSmart decision must still respect.
  • Heritage Overlay schedules set whether demolition, fences and other otherwise exempt works need a permit at a listed place.

Council pages in Victoria

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How the $150 report settles this for one site

A Casa preliminary planning report reads the zone, schedule and overlays at the parcel and states which of the three speeds applies to the work described: no planning permit, VicSmart, or a standard permit. It names the provision that sets the pathway and the standards that must be met to keep it, and it flags the building permit and any council report and consent as separate steps rather than folding them into the planning answer.

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Common questions

What is VicSmart?

A class of planning permit application named in the scheme that is exempt from notice and third party review and is decided only against the matters written for that class, plus any open space, garden area and height rules. Clause 71.06 sets the test and the process.

Is a two dwelling development VicSmart?

In the residential zones, constructing two dwellings on a lot, or one more where one exists, is a VicSmart class if the design meets the listed Clause 55 standards and no other provision such as an overlay also requires a permit.

Do I need a planning permit for a shed?

In the General Residential Zone no planning permit is needed for an outbuilding other than a garage or carport of up to 10 square metres and 3 metres high, unless an overlay requires one. A building permit is also not needed for a freestanding Class 10a building meeting Schedule 3 item 1 of the Building Regulations.

Does an exempt planning job still need a building permit?

Usually yes. Section 16 of the Building Act 1993 requires a building permit for building work unless the work is listed in Schedule 3 of the Building Regulations 2018.

Can a VicSmart application be refused?

Yes. VicSmart changes the process and the matters considered, not the outcome. Where a Clause 54 or 55 standard is not met the council must consider the decision guidelines for the corresponding objective.

Sources read for this guide

Not covered here

  • Clause 62.01 (uses not requiring a permit) and Clause 62.02-1 (the unconditional buildings and works exemptions) were read but are not quoted here.
  • The Great Design Fast Track (Clause 53.25) and Future Homes (Clause 53.24) provisions were not fetched and are not covered.
  • The full Schedule 3 exemption table of the Building Regulations 2018 was not reproduced, only item 1.

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