Planning Permit Cost in Victoria (Fees + Report)

The cost of a planning permit in Victoria comes in two parts: the council application fee, which is set by regulation and scales with the value of your project, and the town planning report that accompanies the application. The council fee is fixed by the state and the same at every council; the report is where your choices change the total. This guide gives the current 2025-2026 fee tiers, shows where the report sits on top, and adds the extra costs that can apply on bigger projects.

• ✓The two parts that make up a planning permit cost
• ✓The current 2025-2026 council application fee tiers
• ✓What a town planning report adds
• ✓The extra costs that apply on larger projects
• ✓How to estimate your own total

The short answer

A planning permit in Victoria costs the council application fee plus a town planning report. The council fee is set by the Planning and Environment (Fees) Regulations 2016 and scales with the cost of development. A planner's report typically adds a professional fee; instantplanning produces one. See the permit cost calculator for the current council fee.

The figure below shows the two-part structure.

Figure 1: A planning permit cost is the regulated council fee plus the report you choose to accompany it.

So two people lodging the same project at the same council pay the same council fee — but very different totals, depending on how they get their report done.

Part one: the council application fee

The council application fee is a statutory charge, set by the Planning and Environment (Fees) Regulations 2016 and indexed each July with the value of a fee unit (the fee unit is indexed each July). It's the same at every Victorian council, and it scales with the estimated cost of development in your application. The fee classes that matter most to homeowners are below.

Figure 2: The main 2025-2026 council application fee tiers. The fee scales with your estimated cost of development.

For a permit to develop land for a single dwelling per lot (the most common homeowner case), the fee rises through a series of bands set by the estimated cost of development — the higher the cost of works, the higher the fee. Use the permit cost calculator to find the figure for your band.

If your project runs on the VicSmart fast-track, the fee is lower, with a single step up once the cost of development passes a set threshold; a VicSmart subdivision or other VicSmart class sits at the lower figure.

For other development — two or more dwellings, commercial, industrial — the fees sit in a higher set of bands than a single dwelling, rising with the cost of development. A permit for use only, or to subdivide land into two lots, is a flat statutory fee.

These figures change each July, so always confirm the current amount on the official planning fees page before you lodge.

Part two: the town planning report

The council fee buys you an assessment — it doesn't write your case for you. That's the job of the town planning report: the document that argues why your proposal complies with your zone, any overlays and the relevant ResCode standards (Clause 54 for one dwelling, Clause 55 for two or more). A weak or missing report is the most common reason an application is returned or hit with a Request for Further Information.

A town planner typically charges a professional fee to prepare this report for a straightforward residential project, and more if they also manage the application. We break the planner's side down fully in how much does a town planner cost in Victoria.

The extra costs on bigger projects

On larger or more constrained projects, two further costs can apply on top of the fee and the report.

The Metropolitan Planning Levy. For applications in metropolitan Melbourne where the estimated cost of development exceeds the annual threshold, you must obtain a Metropolitan Planning Levy certificate from the State Revenue Office and submit it with your application. The levy is a small percentage of the cost of development.

Specialist reports. An overlay or a complex site can require specialist input — an arborist, a bushfire consultant, a flood or drainage report, a heritage impact statement, or a land surveyor's plan. Each adds its own fee. These are the costs people most often forget; we cover them in hidden costs of a planning permit in Victoria.

There's also the cost of time: standard applications have a 60-day statutory decision timeframe, and a Request for Further Information pauses the clock, so a thin application can cost you weeks as well as money.

How to estimate your own total

You can build a quick estimate yourself, as shown below.

Figure 3: Four steps to a realistic total — the council fee, the report, and any levy or specialist reports.

First, settle the estimated cost of development for your project — the build cost, not the land. Second, read the matching fee tier above for your application type. Third, add the report: a professional fee from a planner, or from instantplanning. Fourth, add any Metropolitan Planning Levy and specialist reports your overlays or site demand. The sum is a realistic total. For per-council variations in turnaround and local requirements, see planning permit cost by council in Victoria.

A lower-cost report — the council fee stays the same

You can't avoid the council application fee; it's set by the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the fees regulations. But you can choose how you get your report. A town planner takes weeks. instantplanning builds the same council-ready town planning report from current Victorian planning scheme data in minutes — addressing your zone, overlays and the relevant ResCode standards, and you review it before you lodge. You still pay the council fee directly to council.

Start with council planning application fees in Victoria, compare the planner side in how much does a town planner cost, or just generate your report.