Demolition permits in Victoria: what's actually required
Demolishing a house in Victoria involves up to three separate approvals, and confusing them is the single most common cause of delay. Here's the full picture in plain English.
1. The building permit (always required)
Demolition of a house is building work under the Building Act 1993, so it requires a building permit issued by a registered building surveyor — private or council, your choice (private is usually faster in regional areas). The demolition itself must be carried out by a registered demolisher appropriate to the class of work. Allow $800–$2,500 for the permit depending on the surveyor and the job, and expect the surveyor to want the asbestos position and the protection-of-adjoining-property arrangements sorted before issue.
2. Section 29A council consent
Before a surveyor can issue the building permit, Section 29A of the Building Act requires the council's report and consent when:
- the whole building is being demolished, or
- demolitions completed or permitted within the past three years add up to more than half the building's volume, or
- any part of the street-facing facade is being demolished.
A full house demolition always triggers it. The application is lodged with your local council (Mildura Rural City, Latrobe City, Horsham Rural City, City of Wodonga, Rural City of Wangaratta, Campaspe Shire — whichever covers your block), the statutory fee is around $95–$105 (indexed each July), and the council has 15 business days to respond. Section 29A is how the council checks whether the property is protected — heritage overlays, neighbourhood character controls — before the wreckers arrive.
3. A planning permit (sometimes)
Most regional demolitions need no planning permit. You do need one when the planning scheme says so — most commonly a Heritage Overlay (parts of central Echuca, older Wangaratta and Mildura precincts), a Neighbourhood Character Overlay, or demolition tied to a broader development application. If the council flags a planning trigger in its Section 29A response, budget extra months, not weeks — heritage demolition applications are slow and refusals are real. Check your property's overlays free on VicPlan before you fall in love with a knock-down-rebuild plan.
What the process looks like in practice
- Confirm overlays on VicPlan (5 minutes, free).
- Lodge Section 29A with council — 15 business days.
- Engage the building surveyor; building permit issues once 29A consent and asbestos/protection details are in place.
- Meanwhile: book service abolishments (2–4 weeks lead) and the asbestos survey.
Run in parallel, the paperwork phase takes 3–6 weeks. Run one-after-the-other, it blows out to months — which is why a contractor who lodges everything on day one is worth real money.
If you skip it
Unpermitted demolition is enforced by councils and the Building and Plumbing Commission: stop-work orders, fines, and — the expensive one — a rebuild application assessed with no existing-dwelling rights. On heritage-listed sites, illegal demolition has led to councils requiring reconstruction. No credible contractor will drop a house without the permit in hand; anyone who offers to is telling you what their insurance is worth.
Questions we hear every week
"Can I be the owner-builder for a demolition?" Technically possible for some work, practically a bad idea: you inherit the permit obligations, the protection-works duties to neighbours, and the liability if anything goes wrong beside a boundary. Demolition is exactly the job to leave under the contractor's registration and insurance.
"How long does the consent last?" A building permit for demolition comes with commencement and completion dates — typically the work must start within 12 months. Don't lodge a year before you're ready; sequence it with your builder.
"Does the neighbour get a say?" Not on the demolition itself (outside planning triggers), but if you're working on or near the boundary, protection works provisions can require formal notice to the adjoining owner and a dilapidation record of their structures before you start. Your surveyor determines it; a professional contractor raises it before you have to ask.
"What about the trees?" Tree removal is governed separately — local laws and overlay controls can require their own permit even on a block where the house demolition is approved. Never assume the excavator can just push them over.
Who handles it
A professional demolition contractor arranges the lot — 29A, building permit, asbestos clearance, protection works notices — as line items in a fixed quote. That's how we work: the paperwork starts the day you accept. Not sure what your job triggers? The 60-second permit check sorts it.