Free, expert-written articles covering every part of the Victorian planning system — permits, overlays, ResCode, costs, and the application process.
How to lodge a planning permit application in Victoria — the form, the documents, the fees under the 2016 Regulations, a…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Town planning reports & ResCodeA town planning report is the written case that supports a Victorian planning permit application. Here's what it is, whe…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Do I need a permit?How long a planning permit takes in Victoria — the 60-day statutory clock, the 10-day VicSmart fast track, what pauses t…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Costs & feesHow much does a town planner cost in Victoria? A planning report typically runs a professional fee, plus the council app…
7 min read · 2026-06-25
Do I need a permit?Find out if your project needs a planning permit in Victoria — when one's required, when it's exempt, how overlays and V…
6 min read · 2026-06-23
Whether you need a planning permit — exemptions, overlays that trigger one, and how to check.
How long a planning permit takes in Victoria — the 60-day statutory clock, the 10-day VicSmart fast track, what pauses t…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Do I need a permit?How to find my planning scheme in Victoria — use VicPlan, generate a free planning property report, and read your zone, …
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Do I need a permit?Owner-builder planning permit Victoria — why owner-builder status is a building matter, when you still need a planning p…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Do I need a permit?The planning permit process in Victoria explained — from preparing plans and lodging, through RFI, public notice, referr…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Do I need a permit?Planning permit vs building permit in Victoria — what each covers, who issues them, the order they happen in, and when y…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Do I need a permit?VicSmart vs a standard planning permit in Victoria — which pathway your project takes, the 10-day fast track, and whethe…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
What your specific project needs — houses, extensions, dual occupancies, pools, sheds, carports.
Do you need a planning permit for a carport in Victoria? Usually no for an open carport beside the house with no overlay…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits by projectDo you need a planning permit for a change of use in Victoria? How the zone use table, Section 1 conditions, existing us…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits by projectDo you need a planning permit for a deck in Victoria? Usually no for a modest deck with no overlay — but a building perm…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits by projectDo you need a planning permit to demolish a house in Victoria? It depends on your overlays — plus separate building repo…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits by projectDo you need a planning permit for a driveway or vehicle crossover in Victoria? Usually not — but a main road or a second…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits by projectDo I need a planning permit for a dual occupancy in Victoria? Building two dwellings on one lot almost always needs a pl…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
How overlays change the rules — heritage, bushfire, flood, vegetation, design, and more.
Building in a bushfire-prone area in Victoria? Understand BAL ratings, the BMO vs Bushfire-Prone Area, AS 3959 construct…
7 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits & overlaysRenovating or extending in a Heritage Overlay in Victoria? What needs a permit, sympathetic design, demolition controls,…
7 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits & overlaysBuilding on flood-prone land in Victoria? LSIO, SBO and Floodway overlays, minimum floor levels, freeboard, the water-au…
7 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits & overlaysA Built Form Overlay is a newer Victorian control for activity centre cores. Most properties don't have one — built form…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits & overlaysDo you need a planning permit in a Bushfire Management Overlay in Victoria? Building a dwelling does under Clause 44.06 …
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Permits & overlaysA Design and Development Overlay in Victoria triggers a planning permit to construct a building or carry out works. Heig…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Council fees, planner costs, application charges, and what you get for your money.
How to get a town planning report cheaply in Victoria — scope it tight, lodge it yourself, avoid the costly rework, and …
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Costs & feesHow Victorian council planning application fees work — the statutory fee classes by cost of development, subdivision, Vi…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Costs & feesDraftsperson vs town planner in Victoria — who draws the plans, who writes the planning report, what each costs, and whe…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Costs & feesWhat a dual occupancy permit costs in Victoria — the council application fee tier, the town planning report, plans, and …
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Costs & feesWhat a house extension planning permit costs in Victoria — when one is needed, the application fee tier by cost of works…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
Costs & feesThe hidden costs of a planning permit in Victoria — specialist reports, public notice, amended plans and levies that sit…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
When you can do it yourself, what a planner does, and how to choose.
Can you prepare your own town planning report in Victoria? Yes — it's legal. Here's what to include, the pitfalls to avo…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
DIY vs a town plannerHow long a town planning report takes in Victoria - days to weeks with a planner, minutes online - plus how the 60-day p…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
DIY vs a town plannerSearching town planner near me in Victoria? Local presence matters less than you think — here's what actually counts, an…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
DIY vs a town plannerDo you need a town planning consultant in Victoria? What they do, what they charge, and when you can prepare and lodge y…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
DIY vs a town plannerDIY town planning report vs hiring a planner in Victoria — what you're legally allowed to do yourself, when it works, an…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
DIY vs a town plannerNeed a council-ready town planning report fast in Victoria? See how to get one in minutes - and when a slower human plan…
6 min read · 2026-06-25
What a town planning report is, ResCode standards, and how instantplanning produces one.
How residential building height limits work in Victoria - the ResCode default of 9 metres, the 10-metre allowance on slo…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Town planning reports & ResCodeClause 54 explained for Victoria — the Single Home Code for one dwelling or a small second dwelling, its standards, the …
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Town planning reports & ResCodeClause 55 explained for Victoria — the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code for two or more dwellings, its deemed-to-comply stand…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Town planning reports & ResCodeWhat Clause 57 means for four-storey apartments in Victoria - when it applies, how it differs from Clause 55 and 58, and…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Town planning reports & ResCodeWhat Clause 58 means for apartment developments in Victoria - when it applies, the standards it sets, and how it differs…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Town planning reports & ResCodeHow Victoria's minimum garden area requirement works - the percentage by lot size, which zones it applies in, what count…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Lodging, RFIs, public notice, VCAT, and timelines — the step-by-step process.
What endorsed plans are in Victoria — how plans get endorsed after a permit issues, why your building permit must match …
6 min read · 2026-06-26
The application processHow to extend a planning permit in Victoria under section 69 — when a permit expires, the time limits to apply, and the …
6 min read · 2026-06-26
The application processHow to amend a planning permit in Victoria under section 72 — the section 73 process, what can and can't change, and whe…
7 min read · 2026-06-26
The application processHow to lodge a planning permit application in Victoria — the form, the documents, the fees under the 2016 Regulations, a…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
The application processPlanning permit vs planning scheme amendment in Victoria — when you need a permit (consent within the scheme) vs an amen…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
The application processUnderstand planning permit conditions in Victoria — endorsed-plan conditions, common condition types, what you can dispu…
7 min read · 2026-06-26
What each zone and overlay means — GRZ, NRZ, HO, BMO, SLO, and the rest of the VPP.
What the Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) means in Victoria — when you need a planning permit, the bushfire protection …
7 min read · 2026-06-26
Zones & overlays explainedWhat the Commercial 1 Zone (C1Z, Clause 34.01) means in Victoria — what you can do without a permit, what needs one, res…
6 min read · 2026-06-26
Zones & overlays explainedFind out what a Design and Development Overlay (DDO) means in Victoria, when you need a planning permit, exemptions, and…
7 min read · 2026-06-26
Zones & overlays explainedA Development Contributions Plan Overlay (DCPO, Clause 45.06) makes development fund infrastructure through levies. Lear…
8 min read · 2026-06-26
Zones & overlays explainedA Development Plan Overlay (DPO, Clause 43.04) requires an approved development plan before a permit. Learn how it works…
8 min read · 2026-06-26
Zones & overlays explainedWhat the Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO, Clause 42.01) protects, when you need a permit, exemptions and how to …
7 min read · 2026-06-26
Town planning reports and permit guides for all 79 Victorian councils.
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