Building Industry Resources
Keep your technical knowledge up to date with the VBA’s building industry resources. On this page, you’ll find a wide range of information, including fact sheets, practice notes, forms, letter templates and answers to frequently asked questions.
You’ll also find information on the technical and operational changes introduced through Victoria’s building industry reforms program.
Building Industry
Building Forms – Approved
Building Forms – Prescribed
- Form 1 – Application for a Building Permit
- Form 2 – Building Permit
- Form 3 – Notice of Imminent Lapse of Building Permit – Commencement of Work
- Form 4 – Notice of Imminent Lapse of Building Permit – Completion of Work
- Form 5 – Determination that Combined Allotment is One Allotment
- Form 6 – Determination that Protection Work is Required
- Form 7 – Protection Work Notice
- Form 8 – Protection Work Response Notice
- Form 9 – Notice of Determination under Section 87 of the Act
- Form 10 – Emergency Order
- Form 11 – Building Notice
- Form 12 – Building Order (General)
- Form 13 – Building Order to Stop Building Work
- Form 14 – Building Order – Minor Work
- Form 15 – Application for Occupancy Permit
- Form 16 – Occupancy Permit
- Form 17 – Certificate of Final Inspection
- Form 18 – Exemption from, or Consent to Partial Compliance with, Requirements in Regulations
Fact Sheets
- Additional requirements when determining performance solutions
- Combined allotment determinations
- Demolition work
- Exemption for Class 10a buildings
- For consumers thinking about building a pool or spa
- New Residential Zones
- Non-Deemed-to-Satisfy External Wall Cladding Systems
- Industry Alert - External walls and BCA compliance.pdf
- Maintenance and operation of barriers for swimming pools and spas
- Mandatory disciplinary action on breach of dispute resolution order notice
- Mandatory notification stages and inspections
- Suitability of construction material info sheet
- Frequently asked questions about swimming pool and spa barriers
- Time limits and lapsed building permits
- Building Order referral guidelines
- Directions to Fix referral guidelines
- Water tanks and wind energy
Information sheets
Letter Templates
Minister's Guidelines
- Minister's Guidelines MG-01 – Building Commission – Fees for building surveying services
- Minister's Guidelines MG-02 – Class 9B Buildings – Management of sanitary facilities
- Minister's Guidelines MG-03 – Involvement of adjoining owners in siting appeals
- Minister's Guidelines MG-04 – Certification of engineering designs
- Minister's Guidelines MG-05 – Professional standards – Building surveyors
- Minister's Guidelines MG-06 – Building Commission – Fee for appointing prescribed building practitioner to act as an inspector
- Minister's Guidelines MG-07 – Uniform building permit numbering system
- Minister's Guidelines MG-08 – Issuing of occupancy permits
- Minister's Guidelines MG-09 – Issuing of building permits (Demolitions/Removal)
- Minister's Guidelines MG-10 – Building Practitioners Board – Fees
- Minister's Guidelines MG-11 – Building permit and planning permit consistency
- Minister's Guidelines MG-12 – Siting and design of single dwellings
- Minister's Guidelines MG-13 – Exercise of discretion when applying a new building regulation or an amendment to a building regulation
- Minister’s Guidelines MG-14 – Issue of building permits where building work involves the use of certain cladding products
Practice Notes
- PN-01-2018 – Multi-storey Residential Buildings – Warranty Insurance Exception
- PN-02-2018 – Building Envelopes and Part 5 of the Building Regulations
- PN-03-2018 – Certificate of Compliance
- PN-04-2018 – Stormwater drainage
- PN-05-2018 – Swimming Pool and Spa Safety
- PN-06-2018 – Building Above Certain Public Facilities
- PN-07-2018 – Residential Fire Safety Systems
- PN-08-2018 – Emergency Communication System
- PN-09-2018 – Building Energy Analysis for Commercial Buildings
- PN-10-2018 – Guarantees and Bonds
- PN-11-2018 – Building Definitions
- PN-12-2018 – Applying BCA energy efficiency measures in existing Class 2 to 9 Buildings
- PN-13A-2018 – Installation of Fire Safety Systems in Residential-Buildings
- PN-14-2018 – Access to buildings for people with a Disability
- PN-18-2018 – Responses from Municipal Councils
- PN 19 – Notifying Council of Building Work
- PN-20-2018 – Protection Work Process
- PN-21-2018 – Building Permit Amendment
- PN-23-2018 – Maintenance of Essential Safety Measures
- PN-24-2018 – Occupancy Permit
- PN-25-2016 – Notices and Orders
- PN-27-2006 – Self-contained Smoke Alarms to Existing Buildings
- PN-27A-2018 – Smoke Alarms in existing residential buildings
- PN 28 – Multiple Building Permits
- PN-29-2018 – Using Volumes One and Two of the National Construction Code
- PN-30-2018 – Classification of Residential Care Buildings
- PN-31-2018 – Deleting Hose from Existing Fire Hydrants
- PN-32-2018 – When is a Building Permit Required?
- PN-33-2018 – Issuing of building plans prior to registration of plans of subdivision
- PN-35-2018 – Time Limits for Building Work and Lapsing Building Permits
- PN-36-2018 – Building permit for stage occupancy
- PN-37-2018 – Fire performance requirements of Volumes One and Two of the National Construction Code
- PN-38-2018 – Fire Hydrant System Design, Installation, Commisioning and Testing
- PN-39-2018 – Building Appeals Board Guide to Applications for Modification and Compliance
- PN-40-2018 – Fire Alarm Monitoring Systems
- PN-43-2018 – Demolition of Buildings
- PN-44-2018 – Building Permit and Planning Consistency
- PN-45-2018 – Cooling Tower Systems
- PN-47-2018 – Part 5 of Building Regulations
- PN-54-2018 – Building Permits and Community Infrastructure Levies
- PN-55-2018 – Residential Sustainability Measures
- PN 56 – Owner-Builder Certificate of Consent
- PN-57-2018 – Report and Consent
- PN-58-2018 – Protection of Public
- PN-59-2018 – Sprinkler Systems – Performance Solutions
- PN-61-2018 – Water Savings Options available when testing Fire Safety Systems
- PN-62-2014 – Documentation Required for Applications for Building Permits
- PN-63-2018 – Performance Solution Procedures and Documentation
- PN-64-2018 – Classification of Buildings
- PN-65-2018 – Flood Hazard Areas and Building Regulations
- PN-66-2018 – Occupancy Permit for Places of Public Entertainment
- PN-67-2018 – Application of the Building Code of Australia to farm buildings
- PN-68-2018 – Small Live Music Venue Classifications
- PN-69-2018 – Mandatory notification stages and inspection of building work
- PN-70-2018 – Directions to Fix Building Work
- PN 73 – Building Permit Levy
Prescribed Temporary Structures
Product Safety Alerts
Building Industry Reforms – 2016
Fact sheets
- Certified Checklist ss30A and 30B
- Directions to fix
- Fact Sheet – Abolition of the BPB
- Fact Sheet – Builder may not appoint PBS
- Fact Sheet – Codes of conduct
- Fact Sheet – Conditions on registration
- Fact Sheet – Continuing professional development
- Fact Sheet – Disciplinary Action
- Fact Sheet – Disciplinary Process
- Fact Sheet – Fit and Proper Person
- Fact Sheet – Five-Year Registration
- Fact Sheet – Owner-builder certificates of consent
- Fact Sheet – Surrender of Registration
- Offences and penalties
- Owner-builder site inspections
- Threshold amount for a certificate of consent
- When PBS may not act
Forms and Checklists
Frequently Asked Questions
Information Guides
Building Industry Reforms – 2017
Fact sheets
- Building Amendment Regulations 2017
- Building practitioners and owner-builder projects
- Emergency Orders, Building Orders and Building Notices
- Exiting the Industry - Private Building Surveyors
- New liabilities for people in a partnership
- Power to issue directions to fix building work
- Project Manager (Domestic) and transitional arrangements
- Registration of companies as a building practitioner
- Statutory management
Frequently Asked Questions
Building Industry Reforms – 2018
Fact sheets
- Changes to gathering information via a court order
- Changes to the appointment of Private Building Surveyors
- Changes to the VBA's power of entry to non-residential premises
- Transfer of building surveyor functions
- Injunctions
- Inspection of building work
- Limitations on the issue of building permits
- Notification during building work (section 33)
- Notification of practitioner involvement
- Offence to hinder or obstruct
- VBA's powers of entry to inspect residential premises