Victoria · City of Stonnington
Your Melbourne inner-southeast council approval guide
The City of Stonnington covers South Yarra, Prahran, Toorak, Armadale, Malvern, Windsor and surrounding suburbs. Heritage overlays are widespread, and the council runs a suburb-by-suburb Heritage Review program that keeps expanding protected precincts. VicSmart is offered for eligible minor projects to fast-track assessment.
Heritage overlay + suburb-by-suburb Heritage Review
Stonnington is actively expanding its heritage overlays. Check the interactive map before committing to a design, a property that's currently unlisted may be under review.
Heritage Advisor service
Free-of-charge preliminary heritage advice is available on 03 8290 3329, worth using before a formal application.
Toorak + Armadale mansion belt
Larger blocks and higher property values here mean design panels, additional referrals, and neighbour objections are more common. Budget extra time.
Victoria separates planning permits (about land use, from your council) and building permits (about construction methods, from a Relevant Building Surveyor). You usually need the planning permit FIRST, then the building permit.
Check zoning + overlays
Use VicPlan (planning-schemes.app.planning.vic.gov.au) or your council's interactive map to identify the zone, any heritage overlay, character area, environmental overlay or growth area zone that applies to your block.
Planning permit (if required)
If your project needs a planning permit (most heritage / character-area / larger developments do), lodge with your council. VicSmart is a fast-tracked pathway available for some minor applications.
Appoint a Relevant Building Surveyor (RBS)
The RBS must be appointed by the OWNER (not the builder). Choose either a municipal or private building surveyor. This is a legal requirement in VIC.
Building Permit Number (BPN) via BAMS
Your RBS applies for a 13-digit BPN through the Building Activity Management System (BAMS). Since 26 November 2025 a new formula for the Calculated Cost of Works (CoW) applies. New BAMS reporting fields (including mandatory architect status) took effect 20 March 2026.
Building Permit Levy
Required for works costing over $10,000. Rate: 0.00064 general levy + 0.00064 DBDRV levy of the CoW. Pay via the BPC secure portal (BPAY or card). Your RBS cannot issue the permit until the BPN is received.
Construction, inspections + occupancy
Build proceeds under RBS inspection at prescribed stages. On completion, the RBS issues an Occupancy Permit (or Certificate of Final Inspection for extensions).
These are STATE fees, identical across every Melbourne council. Your council may charge additional planning-permit application fees on top, see per-council notes below.
Yes, and it is one of the best free services in metropolitan Melbourne. The heritage advisor line on (03) 8290 3329 books a preliminary chat with a council heritage officer before you commit design fees. Owners who use it typically save eight to fifteen weeks off their approval timeline because they get told upfront what will and will not fly. The catch: you need to book two to three weeks ahead, and the advisor cannot commit council to a decision. But their guidance almost always tracks what the assessing planner ends up requiring.
Three reasons stack together. Bigger blocks mean bigger designs, which trigger design review panels rather than desktop assessment. Higher property values mean neighbour objections come with more legal firepower attached, and objectors here tend to appeal to VCAT rather than accept a council decision. And the Heritage Review keeps expanding coverage in the mansion belt, so properties that were unlisted three years ago sometimes get caught mid-application. Budget an extra three to six months for anything above about 400 square metres of internal area in these two suburbs.
It does, and this is worth knowing because most inner-Melbourne councils dropped this service years ago. The Municipal Building Surveyor line is (03) 8290 3525, and using the council RBS instead of a private one can be useful on straightforward alterations where you want a single point of accountability. On complex jobs the private-RBS market is usually faster and more flexible. Ask both for indicative fees and turnaround before you commit.
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