Planning rules in Victoria

Usually no. A small second dwelling of up to 80 m² on a lot of 300 m² or more needs no planning permit unless an overlay requires one, but a building permit is still required. In a Heritage Overlay it needs no permit if it is no more than 5 m high and finished in muted tones.

There is no statewide minimum. What binds is the garden area requirement - 25 to 35 percent on lots of 400 m² or more in the General Residential and Neighbourhood Residential zones - plus setbacks, private open space and car parking under the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code. In practice most dual occupancies are built on lots of about 500 m² and up, although well-designed schemes do succeed on smaller lots in the General Residential and Residential Growth zones.

Only if subdivision is allowed in your zone and each new lot works for access, servicing and setbacks around anything already built. There is no statewide minimum lot size in Victoria: a minimum applies only where a Neighbourhood Residential or Low Density Residential Zone schedule specifies one (often 800 m² or more), while General Residential and Residential Growth zones have no minimum subdivision area at all. Check the schedule that applies to your property.

Not for a freestanding deck that is 10 m² or less and no higher than 800 mm above the ground. Any deck attached to the house, or more than 800 mm high, needs a building permit from a registered building surveyor.

A freestanding shed of 10 m² or less and no more than 3 m high generally needs no building permit. Above 10 m² (or of heavier construction) you need a building permit, even if you don't need a planning permit.

Generally 2 m on side and rear boundaries and 1.5 m within 3 m of the street, dropping to 1 m within 9 m of a corner intersection. Brick or masonry over 1.2 m needs a building permit.