Wodonga Council — Do I need a building permit?

Buildings must be subject to the issue of a building permit prior to work commencing according to The Building Act 1993 and Building Regulations 2006. The Act prescribes a penalty of $10,000 for any persons who do work without a permit ($50,000 to any company).

The building permit is the key part of that process and ensures, among other things, that:

Certain practitioners are registered and carry insurance;
Adequate documentation is prepared to correctly construct the building;
An independent review of that documentation occurs;
Key stages of the work are independently inspected; and
The building is independently assessed as completed and/or suitable for occupation.

PLEASE NOTE: All sheds over 10m2 including shipping containers, covered verandahs attached to another building and swimming pools and spas require a building permit.

Permits for driveways and other road reserves, and building over an easement are processed by our infrastructure team and not Wodonga Building Services.

When do you need a permit?

Additions	Additions to a dwelling or any other building	Yes
Alterations	Structural alterations to a dwelling or any other building	Yes
	Removal of or alteration to a load bearing part of a building	Yes
Carports/garages	Freestanding, less than 10m2 in area, less than three metres in height, not constructed of masonry and located no further forward on the than the associated dwelling	No
	Attached to another building	Yes
	Setback less than the associated building	Yes
	Constructed over an easement	Yes
Demolition	All demolition work (except some minor work)	Yes
Fences	Construction of a side or rear boundary fence less than two metres high	No
	Construction of a brick front fence more than 1.2 metres high	Yes
	Construction of a timber front fence less than 1.5 metres high	No
	Construction of a side or rear boundary fence more than two metres high	Yes
	Construction of a fence that is more than one metre high within nine metres of the point of intersection of street alignments	Yes
	Construction of a chain wire tennis court fence	No
Masts/Antennas	Height more than three metres above the highest point of a building	Yes
	Eight metres above the ground	Yes
Pergolas/Shade Sails	Construction of a shade sail/pergola (unroofed) associated with a house, not exceeding 20m2 in area, not more than three metres high and located no further forward than the dwelling	No
	Construction of a pergola/shade sail associated with any other building	Yes
Reblocking	Reblocking or restumping of an existing building	Yes
Retaining walls	Constructed on or near site boundaries (over 600mm height)	Yes
	Construction of a retaining wall one metre or more in height	Yes
Roofing	Replacement of corrugated iron roofing with concrete or terracotta roofing tiles	Yes
	Replacement of corrugated iron roofing with ‘colorbond’ or other prefinished sheeting	No
Sheds	Erection of a shed less than 10m2 in area, less than three metres in height, not constructed of masonry and located no further forward on the than the associated dwelling	No
	Erection of a shed more than 10m2 in area	Yes
Signs	More than one metre in height within three metres of the street allotment boundary	Yes
	More than eight metres above ground level, 6m2 in display area	Yes
Swimming pools/Spas	Construction of a swimming pool/spa capable of holding 300mm, or greater, of water	Yes
	Erection of a safety fence in relation to a swimming pool	Yes
Verandahs/Decks	Construction of a verandah (free standing) associated with a house , not exceeding 10m2 in area, not more than three metres high and located no further forward than the dwelling	No
	Construction of a verandah attached to any building	Yes
	Construction of a deck less than 800mm high at its highest point and not greater than 20m2 and 900mm from the rear or side boundary behind the front of the house	No
Windows	Replacement of windows with same size windows and where no structural alterations are required	No
	Installation of ‘bay’ or ‘corner’ type windows where structural alterations are required	Yes

Important notes

Paving, concreting, landscaping (unless the work includes a retaining wall greater than one metre in height when a building permit is required) are not included in this definition.
Cost includes the value (for example, market trade rate) of labour and materials.
Guidance to determine cost can be obtained from relevant quantity surveying or estimating publications.
Works that do not require a building permit may require other approvals from the Wodonga Council including town planning, health and/or community amenity. All relevant departments should be contacted prior to commencement of works.
Owner-builders carrying out building works over $16,000 must obtain a Certificate of Consent from the Building Practitioners Board. For more information, please visit the Victorian Building Authority website at vba.vic.gov.au