Permits, timelines and council:
what really takes so long.
Approvals are the part of a build nobody can see and everybody blames. Here is what each permit is, how long each takes, and where the weeks really go.
In Victoria a building permit typically takes 2 to 4 weeks once documents are complete, and a planning permit 4 to 8 weeks. Most projects allow 6 to 12 weeks overall, depending on council workload.
Start here
Two permits, not one.
Almost every frustrating conversation about approvals in Victoria comes from treating planning and building permits as the same thing. They are separate processes, run by different people, asking different questions, and one can be required without the other.
A planning permit is about whether your proposal is acceptable on that land. It considers zoning, overlays, neighbourhood character, setbacks, overshadowing, overlooking, vegetation and sometimes heritage. It is assessed by your council's planning department, and it is discretionary. Someone forms a judgement.
A building permit is about whether what you are building complies with the technical rules: structure, fire separation, energy performance, waterproofing, glazing, safety. It is issued by a registered building surveyor, at council or in private practice, and it is largely a compliance check rather than a judgement call.
Plenty of straightforward projects on standard residential blocks need only a building permit. Add an overlay, a heritage control, a second dwelling, significant vegetation or a bushfire-prone designation and the planning permit arrives, along with most of the waiting.
The sequence
What happens, and how long each part takes.
Design and documentation
Concept, working drawings, engineering, soil report and energy assessment. Typically 6 to 12 weeks with a new design. Nothing can be lodged until this set is complete and consistent, and it is the stage most within your control.
Planning permit, if one is needed
Lodged with council, typically $200 to $1,500 in fees and 4 to 8 weeks. Longer where the application is advertised to neighbours, referred to another authority, or comes back with a request for further information.
Building permit
Issued by a registered building surveyor once any planning conditions are satisfied and the documentation is complete. Typically $1,000 to $5,000 and 2 to 4 weeks.
Demolition permit, on a rebuild
Typically $100 to $500, alongside the asbestos assessment and service disconnections. These run in parallel with the other approvals rather than after them.
Service authority approvals
Power, water, sewer and stormwater connections each have their own process and queue. They are easy to leave until late, and leaving them late is how a job sits waiting on a slab date.
Estate or covenant approval
On estate land, the developer's design review runs separately from council, with its own guidelines, turnaround and resubmissions. Design for it from the first sketch.
Where the weeks go
Six weeks of assessment, twelve weeks of reality.
Published timeframes assume an application that is complete, consistent and uncontroversial. Most delays are not the council being slow. They are the file going back and forth, and each lap costs weeks.
- ✓Requests for further information, which pause the clock until you answer them
- ✓Documents that disagree, so the drawings say one thing and the engineering another
- ✓Referrals to another authority, which add that authority's queue to yours
- ✓Advertising to neighbours, and any objections that follow
- ✓Planning conditions that require drawings to be amended before the building permit proceeds
- ✓Christmas and January, which quietly remove weeks from any program crossing them
This is why permits are quoted as 6 to 12 weeks rather than a single number. Two identical houses in different municipalities can be months apart, purely on workload and on whether a planning permit is in the mix.
What it costs
Permit fees, in plain numbers.
Fees vary by council and by the value of the work, so treat these as budget guidance rather than a quote. We confirm the figures for your address before you commit.
- ✓Planning permit: typically $200 to $1,500, and 4 to 8 weeks
- ✓Building permit: typically $1,000 to $5,000, and 2 to 4 weeks
- ✓Demolition permit: typically $100 to $500
- ✓Reports and assessments: soil classification, energy rating, land survey and engineering, priced separately
- ✓Service connections and authority charges, set by the authorities rather than your builder
Note what is not on that list: the cost of the time. Three months of approvals on a project you are financing is a real number, and it is the strongest argument for getting the documentation right the first time.
What you can control
The parts you can actually speed up.
You cannot make a council assess faster. You can make sure it only has to assess once, and that is worth more than it sounds.
The biggest lever is finding out early whether a planning permit is required at all. That answer comes from the property's zone and overlays, and it changes your program by months. We check it at the site visit, before anyone draws anything.
- ✓Get the zone and overlay position confirmed before design starts, not after
- ✓Complete the documentation set before lodging, rather than lodging early to start the clock
- ✓Design to the estate guidelines or character controls from the first concept
- ✓Order the soil report, survey and energy assessment early so they are not the thing everyone waits on
- ✓Start service connection applications in parallel with the permits
- ✓Keep one person responsible for the whole approvals file
We run that file for our clients, which is the honest reason our timelines hold. Each council has its own habits, and our custom home builder Pakenham page covers Cardinia Shire specifically. For the build that follows, see custom home builds, or knockdown rebuild if a demolition permit is in your sequence.
Straight answers
Permit and timeline questions.
How long does a building permit take in Victoria? +
Typically 2 to 4 weeks once documentation is complete and any planning conditions are satisfied. Most projects allow 6 to 12 weeks for the whole approvals stage, because design and planning sit in front of it.
What is the difference between a planning permit and a building permit? +
A planning permit asks whether the proposal suits the land, considering zoning, overlays and neighbourhood impact. A building permit checks the design against technical construction rules. They are separate, and one can be required without the other.
Do I always need a planning permit? +
No. Many straightforward homes on standard residential blocks need only a building permit. Overlays, heritage controls, a second dwelling, vegetation removal or a bushfire designation are the usual triggers for a planning permit.
What does a planning permit cost? +
Typically $200 to $1,500, depending on the council and the value of the work. A building permit generally runs $1,000 to $5,000, and a demolition permit $100 to $500. We confirm the actual fees for your address.
Why did my neighbour's permit come through faster? +
Usually because their project did not need a planning permit, or their documentation was complete at lodgement. Council workload and whether an application is advertised also change the timeline substantially.
Who handles the council process, me or the builder? +
We do. Planning and building permits, engineering, soil reports and service connections are managed end to end, with a plain-English update while council does its work. You never sit on hold with a planning department.
Can I start work while the permit is being assessed? +
No. Building work cannot begin before the building permit is issued, and demolition needs its own permit. Starting early risks enforcement action and can void insurance, so we do not do it.
Want the permit path for your address?
At the site visit Jarrod will tell you whether your block needs a planning permit, and what that does to your program.