Prescribed temporary structures

VBA teams are now working remotely; however, we are continuing to process applications for prescribed temporary structure occupancy permits. Please be aware that there may be some processing delays.

We are currently offering applicants the following options where events are postponed or cancelled:

You may withdraw your application in writing and apply for fees to be refunded.
You may request that your application is put on hold until further notice.
Where an event-specific permit has been issued and the event has been cancelled or postponed, you may apply for an amendment to the period of operation if the event is likely to be rescheduled, without additional fees being required.
If you have been issued an Occupancy Permit for Temporary Structures for a specific site, you may apply for an amendment to that permit for state wide occupancy permit.

To take up any of these options, or if you would like to discuss any impacted applications, please email.

It is important to note that prior to any use and occupation of prescribed temporary structures, everyone must comply with any other law, Act or Regulation. This includes any directions from the Chief Health Officer in accordance with emergency powers arising from declared state of emergency in Victoria. More information relating to directions from the Chief Health Officer can be found on the DHHS website.

Some temporary structures require an occupancy permit from the VBA before they can be used for public entertainment.

These structures include:

tents, marquees or booths with a floor area greater than 100m²
seating stands for more than 20 people
stages or platforms (including sky boarders and stage wings) exceeding 150m² in floor area
prefabricated buildings exceeding 100m² other than ones placed directly on the ground surface.

Public entertainment:

includes events which can be accessed by the general public, with or without tickets
does not include private or invite only events
does not include use for other purposes such as retail, dining, office space etc.

Note: prescribed temporary structures must not be attached to, erected on or within another permanent building.

Applying for an occupancy permit

On 1 February 2020, the application process for occupancy permits for temporary structures changed. The new application forms can be found on this page. The new process better defines the requirements for applicants and is designed to improve processing times.

An occupancy permit can now be issued for a specific event or for state-wide use for a maximum of 5 years. Previously, the VBA issued state-wide occupancy permits for a maximum of 3 years; however, this has been increased for the convenience of applicants.

An application must use engineering principles to demonstrate that the structure does not pose a hazard to occupants or structures and people in the area.

We currently adopt the Australian Building Codes Board's Temporary Structures 2015 Standard to determine compliance.

You are required to submit all required documents via email.

If you have any questions regarding the new process, please contact the VBA via email.

Required documents

The following must be submitted with applications:

Required document checklist (DOCX, 125.23 KB)
Application form (DOCX, 125.85 KB)
Certificate of compliance in the form approved by the VBA from an Engineer (civil) registered in Victoria for the structural design (see sample certificate (PDF, 158.25 KB))
Drawings, engineering documents and fire test reports as listed in the required document checklist – see Prescribed temporary structures application guidelines for more information on specific requirements
Payment Authorisation form (PDF, 257.55 KB) (Note this must be submitted as a separate document for security reasons)
Alternative method report, where a design does not meet normative requirements (see sample report (DOCX, 83.93 KB))
A fire engineering report and accompanying r126 Certificate of Compliance from an Engineer (fire safety) where an alternative method relates to a fire safety matter.

Additionally, for complex designs, a peer review and a second Certificate of Compliance from an independent engineer may be required.

Take care to provide all of the required documentation. If insufficient documentation is submitted, an application will be refused. In the case of refusal, application fees are non-refundable.

See Prescribed temporary structures application guidelines for detailed requirements.

Fees

The application fee is $350 per structure.

If there is more than one type of structure or structure configuration, the fee must be paid for each structure. For example:

A marquee with 2 different spans (e.g. 10 m and 15 m) would attract a total fee of 2 x $350 = $700.
A circus tent and seating stand would attract a total fee of 2 x $350 = $700.
A marquee that can be connected to another identical structure to form a larger marquee would attract a fee of $350.

Timeframes

All applications must be made at least 30 days prior to the first date on which the structure is to be used.

We may request further information or amended documents after an application is submitted. These will need to be provided within 30 days or the application will be refused. When we have received all the required information, we will usually make a decision within 5 days.