Do you need a planning permit?

It's your responsibility to find out if you need a planning permit, and it will depend on how you want to use or develop your land.

It's your responsibility to find out if you need a permit, and you should always check with us before going ahead. Whether you need a planning permit depends on how you want to use or develop your land.

Common examples which may need a planning permit include:

• constructing or changing a building
• a new use for the land, particularly where it creates demand for car parking
• displaying a sign, such as advertising and business name
• removing vegetation, such as trees
• applying for a liquor licence.

Factors that determine whether you need a planning permit include, but are not limited to:

• the type of work you want to do (renovations, a new house, two or more houses, a new restaurant)
• which zone your property is in
• how big your property is
• the possibility of flooding in the area
• the distance of your property from major roads
• the existence of heritage controls
• whether you're running a business from home
• whether you want to subdivide land.

If you want to do some more research, the VicPlan website allows you to look up a property and find out how it fits into local planning requirements.

It also helps to know what zoning applies to your land. This will give you an idea of what you can and cannot do in your area. For more information see the Darebin Planning Scheme.

Submit a planning enquiry

If you need a formal written response or confirmation about a specific site, you should submit a planning enquiry.

You can do this by completing the Property Information Request form(PDF, 96KB) and ensuring that you:

• attach the Certificate of Title and any plans, photos, covenants or other relevant information
• pay the required fee as shown on the form.

We will send you a written response as soon as possible.

If you still have questions, you can call us on 03 8470 8850.