FAQ

A building surveyor assesses building design and construction against the Building Act 1993 (Vic), the Building Regulations, the National Construction Code (NCC), and relevant Australian Standards. In practice that means checking documents, issuing a building permit where the work is compliant, carrying out mandatory inspections, and issuing the relevant occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection when the work is complete.

If the work requires a building permit in Victoria, a registered building surveyor must be involved. That applies to most new homes, many renovations and additions, commercial work, and new pool and barrier projects.

Schedule 3 of the Building Regulations indicates Exemptions for building work and buildings. This legislation is available here.

If you are still unsure, your local council is able to provide you with this information - speak to the council Building Department.

Alternatively, send over a short description of the works (and drawings if you have them!) and we will help point you in the right direction.

The Relevant Building Surveyor is the surveyor appointed for your project. They are responsible for the permit, the inspections, and the paperwork through to completion. Once appointed, they cannot be swapped casually - a change of surveyor is a formal process.

In Victoria you can appoint a private building surveyor (such as Permit Approvals Plus) or, in some cases, use the municipal building surveyor at council. Many owners and builders appoint a private surveyor for responsiveness and continuity. We are a private practice.

An architect or building designer prepares the drawings. A town planner (or council planning department) deals with planning permits - use, siting in the planning scheme, neighbourhood character, and similar issues. A building surveyor deals with the building permit - structure, safety, health, amenity, and construction standards. Many projects need both a planning permit and a building permit.

Typical examples include a new dwelling, an extension, internal structural changes, a garage or carport over a certain size, a deck, commercial fit-outs, and new swimming pool/spa and safety barrier projects. Always check rather than assume an exemption.

A planning permit is about whether the development is allowed on the land under the planning scheme. A building permit is about whether the proposed building complies with building law. You may need one, both, or (rarely) neither. We do not issue planning permits, but we will tell you if we need a planning permit and endorsed plans before we can issue a building permit.

No. Building work that requires a permit must not start until the building permit (Form 2) and stamped documents have been issued. Starting early can lead to a building notice or order, extra cost, and delay.

Illegal building work is work that has been undertaken without a building permit. Options depend on what was built and whether it can be made to comply. We can discuss illegal building works, inspections, and a path to regularise the work where that is possible. Do not assume a “late” permit can always be issued.

Send us your working drawings and a brief description of the work, including the property address and a rough cost of works. You can use our quotation form or email admin@permitapprovalsplus.com.au. We endeavour to respond within 3 business days.

We send you a Form 1 building permit application (with the section 76 and 78 appointment forms) to complete and sign. That appoints Permit Approvals Plus as the Relevant Building Surveyor for the project.

We regularly work across Melbourne and metropolitan areas, the Inner West (including Yarraville and Footscray), Geelong and the Surf Coast, the Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island, and South Gippsland. We also assist clients elsewhere in Victoria - ask us if your site is outside those areas.

We are a family-owned practice established in 2013 by David and Andrea. We aim to keep inspections in-house, or source an inspector from one of our few trusted contract inspectors. These inspectors are all registered practitioners.

Our aim is to limit handovers, so your surveyor or inspector stays briefed on the project. We also strive to return phone calls the same day (wherever possible!).

Time depends on the completeness of the documents, the complexity of the design, and any referrals (for example Report & Consent). A complete, well-prepared file is much faster than one that arrives in pieces. Once every checklist item is in and the construction levy is paid, we can issue the permit with the number allocated by the Building & Plumbing Commission (BPC).

In short:

1. Compile working drawings and documentation (from a building designer or architect).
2. Contact a building surveyor with those drawings and other documents you have.
3. After receiving and accepting the quote, complete Form 1, appointing the surveyor.
4. Send documentation for assessment against the NCC, Building Act, Regulations and Standards.
5. You receive a CFI - Further Items Checklist of any further items still required.
6. Send remaining requested documentation so they can be reviewed and ticked off.
7. When the file is complete, the surveyor applies on the BPC BAMS system for a building permit number. The BPC emails the nominated person a link to pay the construction levy.
8. Pay the levy (check junk mail), then tell your surveyor.
9. You receive the building permit (Form 2) and stamped documents, and may then proceed with the works.

A fuller walkthrough is on our Building Permit Process page.

Form 1 is the building permit application. It includes (or is issued with) the forms that appoint the Relevant Building Surveyor under sections 76 and 78 of the Building Act. It must be completed and signed before we can act as your surveyor.

Form 2 is the building permit itself - the document that allows the work to proceed, together with the stamped drawings and documents.

The Building & Plumbing Commission collects a building permit levy. On our current process note, the levy is $128.00 for every $100,000 of building costs. Levy rates can change. The BPC emails a payment link to the person nominated on the application. Pay it promptly and tell us when it is paid; we cannot issue the permit until that is done.

Automated government emails are often filtered. Check junk/spam for messages from the BPC about the levy, and tell anyone nominated on the application to do the same.

At minimum we need working drawings that show the proposed work clearly and satisfy Regulation 25 of the Building Regulations - typically this involves plans, elevations, sections, and a site plan. A quote is more accurate if we also have engineering, as this will determine the amount of inspections required. For the permit itself we usually also need specifications, engineering (where relevant), title, and other reports - see What you’ll need.

If planning approval is required, we generally need the planning permit and endorsed plans before we can issue the building permit. We can often start a preliminary assessment in parallel, but we cannot ignore planning conditions that affect the building design.

Some designs need a Report & Consent from council (for example siting variations). We can advise and prepare or coordinate those applications. Do not assume a variation will be granted; it is a council decision.

Where a design cannot meet a Deemed-to-Satisfy provision of the NCC, a Performance Solution may demonstrate that the performance requirements are still met. We can prepare or coordinate briefs and reports and work with your consultants. This is more common on complex or commercial projects.

If building work could affect an adjoining property (for example excavation near a boundary), protection works procedures may apply. Neighbours may need to be notified and given the chance to respond. We can advise when this is required.

If the site is in a bushfire-prone area, a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment is often required so the construction can be specified correctly. We can advise if this is likely for your address.

Fees are assessed on the scope and complexity of the project. We provide a written fee proposal after an initial discussion and a look at the drawings.

Typical inclusions are assessment, issue of the building permit, mandatory inspections that we carry out, and issue of the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection, as set out in the fee proposal. Council fees, the BPC levy, engineering, energy ratings, and other consultants are usually extra.

The cost of works is used in the application and for the construction levy. A realistic estimate helps us quote properly and avoids delays with the BPC.

You can email us for an initial conversation. For a proper fee proposal we ask for basic design drawings so we can see the scope.

A building permit sets out the mandatory notification stages. Typical domestic stages include (as relevant) excavation/footing, slab, frame, and final. Commercial work may have additional stages. Your builder must notify us and must not cover work before it is inspected, unless we agree otherwise in accordance with the permit.

Please email inspections@permitapprovalsplus.com.au with the permit address, stage of inspection, and preferred date. For Frame inspections, please include the Truss and Floor Posi Documentation, these are required to be stamped prior to the inspector arriving on site.

If an inspection fails, or non-compliant works are found on site often a Written Direction to Fix will be issued to the builder or owner-builder of the project. The work must be rectified and re-inspected before you proceed past that stage.

The builder (or owner-builder) is responsible for the site being ready and safe to inspect.

When an occupancy permit is required, you must not occupy until it is issued. For some work a certificate of final inspection is issued instead. We will tell you which applies to your permit.

Typically the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection, and the inspection record. Keep these with the stamped permit documents; you will need them if you sell, refinance, or deal with council.

You must not simply build something different. Many changes need an amendment of the building permit, and sometimes further planning approval. Talk to us before the work is done.

Yes, for eligible domestic work, subject to the owner-builder rules - including a certificate of consent from the BPC (for work over the current cost threshold) and other obligations. We still need a complete document file and we still carry out the inspections.

Yes, if the work requires a building permit.

Usually yes, including a compliant safety barrier. A new pool is assessed as building work, not only as a later “barrier check”.

A Form 23 is a certificate of pool and spa barrier compliance, issued after a registered inspector is satisfied the barrier complies. Existing pools in Victoria must be registered with council and inspected on the cycle set by the regulations (commonly associated with a four-year certificate).

A Form 24 is a certificate of non-compliance where the barrier does not meet the applicable standard. You will be given a timeframe to rectify and have it re-inspected.

Yes. Rachel Fisher is a registered Building Inspector - Pool Safety. Use our checklist wizard and choose existing barrier, or contact the office to book.

No. A council registration letter is relevant to existing registered pools when you are seeking barrier certification, not to a new pool building permit application.

Yes. We work on commercial as well as residential files, including permits, inspections, consultancy, and (where needed) Performance Solutions and authority referrals.

Occupancy, fire safety, access, and services are more involved. We typically need architectural drawings suitable for construction, engineering, and relevant services and fire-safety information. See our commercial checklist in What you’ll need.

Follow the instructions in your fee proposal and any request we send. Complete files (clearly named PDFs) are faster to assess than many small, unclear emails.

The applicant on Form 1 is often the owner or the builder, depending on the arrangement. We will tell you what we need completed. The person nominated for the levy email must have access to that inbox.

Talk to us first. Our role is to apply the NCC and the Act, but we are solution-focused and will explain what is required and what options exist (including Performance Solutions or Report & Consent where they apply).

Email admin@permitapprovalsplus.com.au or write to our Footscray office. We will acknowledge and respond in line with our professional obligations.