Building

Under the Building Act 2000 any practitioner that wishes to undertake building work and the value of such work exceeds $5000.00 including labour and material, are required to be accredited by the Director of Building Control.

Accreditation is for the following practitioners:

• Designers (architects, building designers
• Engineers, civil designers and building services designers)
• Building surveyors who are responsible for assessment and inspection of buildings
• Builders who carry out, or manage the building work.

Accreditation under the Building Act 2000 is not occupational licensing and does not provide for the accreditation of:

• Tradespeople
• Subcontractors
• Employees
• Apprentices
• or Others working for building practitioners.

It is the person who has the contract with the owner who needs to be accredited.

For further information please follow the link to Licencing and Accreditation - Department of Justice

Compliance with for the BCA can be achieved in three ways:

• a) Complying with Deemed to Satisfy Provisions (these are prescriptive provisions; in other words you can follow the BCA requirements and your building automatically complies with the performance base provisions.
• b) Complying with an Alternative Solution which has been written to comply with the Performance provisions of the BCA.
• c) A combination of the above.
• d) The BCA is a uniform document that is used across Australia and is maintained and produced by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) on behalf of the States and Territories. The BCA also calls up Australian Standards.

The BCA allows for variations in climate and geological or geographic conditions.

Please visit the Australian Building Codes Board site for further information.

Information being updated.  Please contact Council

You can amend a Building Permit and Council charges a fee for the issue of an amended Building Permit.

An amendment may be considered for an addition, alteration, new building/structure.

However before you apply for an amendment you should check with the Planning Section if a Planning Permit is also required, or you need to amend your existing Planning Permit.

The Building Act 2016 specifies that Building Work is to be completed within a certain period and that the owner or agent of the owner is to obtain a Certificate of Completion (Building Work). The time specified for completion is 24 months or a period agreed between the applicant and the Permit Authority.

It is recommended that you contact a Building Surveyor or Council's Building and Plumbing section for clarification of the exemptions, and also bear in mind that certain works may also require Planning permission.

Below you will find an extract directly from the Building Regulations 2004, please contact Council to assist you with the interpretation of Legislation:

Certain Buildings and Building Work Exempt

These regulations, other than Part 1, Divisions 1 and 2 of Part 2, regulation 23 and Part 4, do not apply in relation to obtaining a building permit under section 60 of the Act in respect of the following:

1) an outbuilding if –

• 1.1. it is the only building of its type on the site; and
• 1.2. the total area does not exceed 9 square metres; and
• 1.3. no side is longer than 3 metres; and
• 1.4. no part is more than 2.4 metres above the ground;

2) a pergola, garden arch, trellis or frame if the structure –

• 2.1. does not exceed 20 square metres in total area; and
• 2.2. is no more than 3 metres above the floor or ground; and
• 2.3. is not covered or is covered only by open-weave material which allows water through;

3) a swimming pool if –

• 3.1. the maximum possible water surface area is not more than 9 square metres; and
• 3.2. the maximum possible water depth is not more than 300 millimetres;

4) a non-roofed windmill, a mast, antenna or flagpole if –

• 4.1. it is not attached to a building and not more than 6 metres high; or
• 4.2. it is attached to a building and is not higher than 6 metres above the topmost point of attachment to the building; or
• 4.3. it is a dish antenna with a diameter of not more than 2 metres and the total area of the dish antenna attached to the supporting structure is not more than 4 square metres;

5) a fence or wall constructed of masonry or concrete if it is not higher than 1.2 metres;

6) a fence constructed of a material other than masonry or concrete if it is not higher than 2.1 metres;

7) a retaining wall if –

• 7.1. it retains a difference in ground levels of less than one metre; and
• 7.2. it is situated more than 1.5 metres from a boundary or way;

8) a water tank if it has a capacity of less than 45 kilolitres;

9) a water tank stand if it is not higher than 1.2 metres;

10) a builder's site shed if it is being –

• 10.1. used in connection with building work for which building permit is in force;
• or
• 10.2. stored in a location permitted by the building surveyor;

11) an explosives magazine, a tank containing dangerous substances or a gas installation if the use of that magazine, tank or installation is controlled under the Dangerous Substances (Safe Handling) Act 2005;

12) the repair or maintenance of an existing building if the work is done for maintenance purposes using similar materials, equipment, installations and components to those being replaced;

13) a non-habitable underground structure on a mining lease;

14) the installation of a stairway lift or platform lift in a Class 1a building;

15) a temporary structure that is –

• 15.1. required to have a temporary occupancy permit; or
• 15.2. exempted under regulation 38 from the requirement to have a temporary occupancy permit.

Should you decide to build more than one building on your property and decide to Strata these by stage it is best to contact the Building and Plumbing Section. 

A Staged Building Permit may not be your best option.

Did you know that if your house or apartment was built or renovated before the mid 1980s (even if it is brick) that your home will most likely contain asbestos in some form?

1. One in three Australian homes contain asbestos
2. Nearly all homes built or renovated before the mid 1980s will contain asbestos in some form
3. Asbestos is not restricted to fibro homes – it can also be found in brick, weatherboard or cladded homes in bathrooms, kitchens, laundries, garages and ceilings, behind tiles and under carpet or lino(among other locations)
4. Australia has one of the highest incidences of asbestos related cancers in the world
5. With one in three Australian homes containing asbestos, the acknowledged ‘Third Wave’ of victims will be homeowners and families exposed to asbestos fibres during home renovations or maintenance

With Australia having one of the highest incidences of asbestos related cancers in the world, and with confirmed cases of asbestos related cancers continuing to increase as a result of home maintenance and renovation, exposure to asbestos fibres is considered a major threat to the health of Australians.

Having been ranked among the top consumers of asbestos cement products per capita in the world, almost every home built or renovated before the mid 1980s is likely to contain asbestos in one form or another.  

In the past, those affected by asbestos related diseases were exposed to raw fibres in the mining and manufacturing process (first wave) followed by workers who used asbestos products in the workplace (second wave).  The third wave of asbestos-related diseases predominantly affects people exposed to fibres during home renovations and maintenance specifically handymen and DIYers as well as family members present at the time.

If left undisturbed asbestos generally does not pose a health risk however, with DIY renovations on the increase, if you are considering doing renovations or home maintenance, you must visit asbestosawareness.com.au to learn where asbestos can be found in the home and how best to manage it.

Most people can’t tell whether building materials contain asbestos just by looking at them.  Asbestos can be under floor coverings such as carpets, linoleum and vinyl tiles, behind wall and floor tiles, in cement floors, internal and external walls, ceilings, eaves, garages, around hot water pipes, fences, extensions to homes, outdoor toilets and backyard sheds – it could be anywhere.

Before commencing any home maintenance or renovation work, homeowners and renovators, particularly young couples and first home buyers excited about renovating their homes, must learn about where they might find asbestos in the home and how best to manage it so they can protect themselves and their families from asbestos fibres.

Don’t play renovation roulette, think smart, think safe, think www.asbestosawarenss.com.au – it’s not worth the risk!