Do You Need Council Approval for a Bathroom or Kitchen Renovation?

"Do I need council approval to renovate my bathroom?" is one of the most common questions we get asked, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you're actually changing. This guide walks through when bathroom and kitchen renovations need a building permit in Victoria, and when they don't.

The Short Answer

Most like-for-like bathroom and kitchen renovations, replacing fixtures, tiles, cabinetry and finishes in the same layout, generally don't require a building permit. The moment you start moving walls, changing plumbing/drainage points, altering waterproofing area, or touching structural elements, you're almost always into building permit territory.

Council planning permits are a separate question again, and usually only come into play if your renovation affects the building's external footprint, height, or falls within a planning overlay (heritage, vegetation, flood, etc.), which is uncommon for a straightforward internal bathroom or kitchen reno.

When You Generally DON'T Need a Building Permit

• Replacing a bath, shower, vanity or toilet in the same position
• Re-tiling within the existing wet area footprint
• Replacing kitchen cabinetry, benchtops or appliances without moving plumbing or gas points
• Cosmetic work: painting, new flooring, new fixtures and fittings

When You Generally DO Need a Building Permit

• Moving or resizing the wet area (changing the footprint of a bathroom or shower)
• Relocating plumbing fixtures to a new position (moving a toilet, sink, or shower base)
• Removing or altering a structural wall, including partial removal for an open-plan kitchen
• Changing waterproofing membrane requirements, particularly on a different level or over a habitable room
• Altering drainage or stormwater points
• Any work that changes the building's structure, even internally

Why This Distinction Actually Matters

Waterproofing is the big one. Building regulations in Victoria require compliant waterproofing for wet areas, and if your renovation changes the wet area's size, layout or membrane in any way, a building surveyor generally needs to sign off on it as part of a building permit. Skipping this isn't just a compliance risk, it can void your home insurance and create real problems if you sell the property later and a building inspection flags unapproved wet area work.

What About Kitchen Renovations Specifically?

Kitchens usually trigger a building permit requirement when:

• You're moving the sink or removing a supporting wall for an open-plan layout
• You're relocating gas or plumbing points
• The renovation affects a fire-rated wall (common in townhouses and units)

A straightforward kitchen refresh, new cabinetry and benchtops in the same footprint, generally doesn't need one.

Council vs. Building Surveyor: Who Actually Approves This?

This trips a lot of people up. In Victoria, building permits are issued by a registered building surveyor, not the council directly (though some councils offer this service too). Planning permits, on the other hand, are assessed by your local council's planning department and are usually only relevant if your renovation affects the building envelope or falls within an overlay.

For most internal bathroom and kitchen renovations, you're dealing with a building surveyor for the permit, not the council planning department, a common source of confusion.

What Drawings Do You Need?

If your renovation needs a building permit, you'll typically need:

• Existing floor plan showing the current layout
• Proposed floor plan showing the new layout, fixtures and dimensions
• Waterproofing and wet area details where applicable
• Any structural documentation if walls are affected

How Arya Designs Can Help

We prepare renovation drawings for bathroom and kitchen projects across Melbourne and Victoria as part of our home extensions and renovations service, and we'll tell you upfront whether your specific renovation needs a building permit or not, before you spend money on drawings you don't need. If it does need a permit, we prepare the full drawing set and can handle your council submission end-to-end.

Ready to Get Started?

Not sure if your renovation needs a permit? Send us a quick description of the project, what's changing and whether any walls or plumbing points are moving, and we'll give you a straight answer along with a fixed quote if drawings are needed.