Planning permit for home extensions
A home extension is adding on to your home. It can include building an upstairs area, a pergola or a larger living area.
You might need a planning permit for a home extension. It depends on the zones and overlays of your property. You definitely need a building permit for extensions to homes.
You do not need a planning permit for a home extension if all of the following are met – your land is:
- in a Residential 1 zone or Mixed Use zone, and
- bigger than 300 square metres in area, and
- has no planning overlays like a Heritage, Special Building Overlay or Land Subject to Inundation Overlay, and
- has no covenants or restrictions on the Certificate of Title for the land. Get a current copy of the Certificate of Title from an online title search at the Department of Sustainability and Environment website.
Find the zone and overlay of your property by typing your address into the Moreland Planning Scheme online.
How Council decides on planning permit applications for extensions
You may need a planning permit to extend your home if your land does not meet certain criteria.
For example, you will need a planning permit if your land:
- is smaller than 300 square metres, or
- is in an planning overlay areas such as a Heritage Overlay, Special Building Overlay or Land subject to Inundation Overlay, or other overlay
- is in an industrial or business zone
Council uses Clause 32.01 of the Moreland Planning Scheme to decide on a planning permit application if the land is in a Residential Zone1.
Council uses Clause 54 of the Moreland Planning Scheme (ResCode) to decide on a planning permit application if the land is in a residential zone and is smaller than 300 square metres in area. The design of the proposal must respond to the particular features and constraints of the land and the character of the area.
We encourage you to have a pre-application meeting before you submit a planning permit application. A pre-application meeting is free and helps Council process your planning permit application faster.
