ZoneScout

What’s permitted in RURAL LIVING ZONE

Victoria Planning Provisions · cl 35.03 · as at 19 August 2026

This is Victoria’s standard state rule for this zone. Your council can vary it in their own planning scheme — those local changes are not on this page, so check with them.

Victoria attaches a condition to most permit-free uses (a size limit, for example), and most of those conditions are not shown here. So “permit-free” usually comes with a catch is not shown here — check the zone’s own wording before relying on this. If the condition isn’t met, you’d simply need a permit, not that the use becomes banned.

The land use table

These are the planning scheme’s official terms. A close match tells you the rule for that term; whether your project counts as that term is a judgement call.

Section 1 — permit not required 13

No permit required

  • Automated collection point
  • Bed and breakfast
  • Community care accommodation
  • Domestic animal husbandry
  • Dwelling (other than Bed and T breakfast)
  • Home based business
  • Informal outdoor recreation
  • Poultry farm
  • Racing dog husbandry
  • Railway
  • Small second dwelling
  • Tramway
  • Any use listed in Clause 62.01

Section 2 — permit required 24

Planning Permit

  • Accommodation (other than Community care accommodation, Dwelling and Small second dwelling)
  • Agriculture (other than Domestic animal husbandry, Apiculture, Intensive animal production, Poultry farm, Racing dog husbandry and Timber production)
  • Bar
  • Broiler farm - if the Section 1 condition to Poultry M farm is not metif the Section 1 condition to Poultry M farm is not met
  • Car park
  • Convenience shop
  • Domestic animal boarding
  • Dwelling (other than Bed and breakfast) - if the M Section 1 condition is not metif the M Section 1 condition is not met
  • Freeway service centre
  • Hotel
  • Leisure and recreation (other than Informal outdoor recreation and Motor racing track)
  • Market
  • Medical centre
  • Place of assembly (other than Amusement parlour, Carnival, Cinema based entertainment facility, Circus and Nightclub)
  • Plant nursery
  • Postal agency
  • Primary produce sales
  • Racing dog husbandry – if the Section 1 condition M is not metif the Section 1 condition M is not met
  • Restaurant
  • Rural industry (other than Abattoir and Sawmill)
  • Service station
  • Store
  • Timber production
  • Utility installation (other than Minor utility installation and Telecommunications facility)

Section 3 — prohibited 14

  • Abattoir
  • Amusement parlour
  • Cinema based entertainment facility
  • Industry (other than Automated collection point and Rural Industry)
  • Intensive animal production
  • Motor racing track
  • Nightclub
  • Office (other than Medical centre)
  • Retail premises (other than Bar, Convenience shop, Hotel, Market, Plant nursery, Postal agency, Primary produce sales and Restaurant)
  • Saleyard
  • Sawmill
  • Small second dwelling – if the Section 1 condition is not metif the Section 1 condition is not met
  • Transport terminal
  • Warehouse (other than Store)

Anything not named below is treated as “Section 2 — permit required”. That is not the same as being on the list.

Your council can vary this table in their own local planning scheme — we don’t hold that local version.

Overlays and other specific rules can still require a permit for a use this table shows as permit-free.

Check a property in Victoria

This page is the table for the zone. Search an address to see whether this zone actually covers the lot, or open the Victoria zoning map.

Building rules

Granny flatsSecondary dwelling rules by stateDecks & pergolasWhen you need a permitSheds & garagesOutbuilding size & approval limitsFencesHeight limits & who paysDual occupancyTwo dwellings on one lotSubdivisionSplitting a block into titles

Frequently asked questions

Does this RURAL LIVING ZONE table apply to my property in Victoria?

It is the state standard for this zone. Your council can vary it in their scheme, and those local changes are not on this page. Search your address, then confirm with the council.

Can I assume my project is one of the terms listed for RURAL LIVING ZONE?

No. The list uses the planning scheme’s official names. Whether your project counts as one of those names is a judgement call — that’s what a planner is for.

If a use is not listed in RURAL LIVING ZONE, is it prohibited in Victoria?

Not by itself. Unlisted uses follow this zone’s fallback (“Section 2 — permit required”). That is different from being named on the list.

Sources

Last reviewed: 19 August 2026. Rules can change — verify with your council before starting work.

General guidance only — not planning advice. This is the land use table from Victoria Planning Provisions, sourced 19 August 2026. It does not decide what your project is, and overlays can still change what you need to apply for.

Talk to a town planner in Victoria

This page covers the general rules. A qualified town planner can tell you what applies to your actual block — the zone, the overlays and the approval path — before you spend money on drawings.

  • Qualified, practising town planners
  • Advice on your property, not a generic rule
  • No cost, no obligation

Free planning consultation

A qualified town planner will be in touch within 1 business day.

By submitting you agree to be contacted about your enquiry. We never sell your data. See our Privacy Policy.