Owner-Builder Building Permits
Planning an owner-builder project in Victoria? Criterion Building Surveyors helps owner-builders obtain building permits, navigate compliance requirements, arrange mandatory inspections and successfully complete their projects through to sign-off.
What is an owner builder?
An owner-builder is a person who takes responsibility for domestic building work on a property they own and intend to live in. In Victoria, most owner-builders require a Certificate of Consent before obtaining a building permit.
Owner-builders can construct just about anything on a property they intend to live in or occupy. You can’t do a complete demolition, or restump an existing house.
Our Shed Permit Process
1. Free Initial Consultation: Tell us about your project, property and goals. Email us, call us or lodge the form and we’ll call you back.
2. Documentation Review: We'll identify the plans, engineering and supporting documents required.
3. Compliance Assessment: Your application is reviewed against applicable Victorian building requirements.
4. Permit Issuance: Once everything is in order, your permit can be issued.
5. Build With Confidence: Move forward knowing your project has been assessed for compliance.
Our Detailed Owner Builder Guide
We have prepared a very detailed blog post outlining the owner builder journey, we recomend reading this to avoid common pitfalls.
The Owner Builder Permit Process
Step 1: Obtain planning approval. We can advise if a planning permit is likely to be required for your owner built project
Step 2: Complete Owner Builder specific requirements such as the BPC certificate of consent
Step 3: Prepare design, engineering and energy documentation
These can and should be done concurrently.
Step 4: Submit building permit application
Step 5: Building permit and mandatory inspections during construction
Step 6: Final approval and occupancy
We Can Help With
- Owner builder new homes
- Owner builder sheds, garages & carports
- Owner builder small second dwellings
- Owner builder renovations and extnesions
- Owner builder decks
- Rural & Regional Projects Victoria Wide
- NCC Compliance Advice
Owner Builder Permit Questions & Answers
Owner-builders can obtain certificates of consent for any property they own (are named on the title) and intend to live in. This includes constructing a small second dwelling on the same allotment.
A common misconception is that you can only complete one owner-builder project every five years.
In reality, you can carry out multiple owner-builder projects on the same property, provided you continue to own and live in that home. The restriction generally applies when moving to a different property.
Once an owner-builder project has been completed and signed off, you generally cannot start a new owner-builder project on another property until five years have passed however you can complete any number of projects on the same property.
The rule is intended to ensure the owner-builder pathway is used for genuine home projects rather than property development. This is measured from the date of completion of the owner builder works.
Mandatory inspections depend on the project but are typically, footings, concrete reinforcement, structural framework and final.
Plumbing and electrical work are restricted trades in Victoria and must be completed by appropriately licensed and registered contractors. Compliance certificates arerequired for electrical work and all plumbing work before a Certificate of Occupancy or Final Inspection can be issued.
If your works exceed $16,000 you will need a certificate of consent from the Building & Plumbing Comission (BPC). This involves getting a white card, completing the e-learning assessment and then applying for a certificate of consent.
On the Building and Plumbing Commission (Formally the Victorian Building Authority) website https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/becoming-an-owner-builder/apply complete the e-learning assessment and upload your white card.
Upon receiving the e-learning assessment certificate, apply for the certificate of consent with details of the project, title documents and any other documents required by the BPC.
The documents required will vary depending on the project, but a typical owner-builder building permit application in Victoria will generally require:
Planning approval or written planning advice from council (if required)
Property Information (Regulation 51(2))
Legal Point of Discharge (Regulation 133)
Soil Report
Architectural drawings and a site plan
Energy Report
Structural engineering drawings and computations
Title documents
Owner-Builder Cost of Works Breakdown
Owner-Builder Certificate of Consent
Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) Assessment where required
Septic, drainage, water supply, or other specialist reports where applicable
Having these documents prepared before lodging your application will generally help the building permit process run more smoothly and reduce the likelihood of requests for additional information.
The time required for an owner-builder permit application varies depending on the complexity of the project, whether planning approval is required, and how complete your documentation is when submitted. Planning approvals can take several months, while incomplete applications often result in Requests for Further Information (RFIs) that extend the assessment process.
To minimise delays, owner-builders should ensure their plans, engineering, reports, title documents, and Certificate of Consent are prepared before lodging a building permit application. Complete and well-coordinated documentation generally leads to a faster approval process.
