Apply for a permit for a home-based business

1. Visit VicPlan and search for the address of your property.
2. Follow the prompts to create and open a Planning Property Report.
3. Read the report and see which zone affects the property from which you will run the business.

You won’t need a Planning Permit from Council to run your business from home if you meet all the following requirements:

• You’re running the business in a Residential, Mixed Use or Commercial 1 zone.
• The person conducting the business uses the dwelling as their principal place of residence.
• There are no more than 2 people working at the business who don’t live in the dwelling.
• The floor area used in conducting the business, including the storage of any materials or goods, doesn’t exceed 100 square metres, or one third, of the total floor area of the dwelling, whichever is the lesser. Note that the total floor area of the dwelling includes structures associated with the dwelling, such as garages and sheds.
• You aren’t adjusting or repairing a motor vehicle for gain.
• You use only one commercial vehicle (a commercial goods vehicle, commercial passenger vehicle or tow truck within the meaning of the Transport Act 1983). The vehicle doesn’t exceed 2 tonnes capacity. The vehicle won’t be fuelled or repaired on the site.
• You only sell goods manufactured or serviced in the home based business (this requirement does not apply to goods offered for sale online).
• You’ll make sure that any goods offered for sale online aren’t collected from the dwelling.
• You’ll store all materials and goods within the building.
• You won’t display any goods so that they’re visible from outside the dwelling.

If you don’t meet any of the requirements listed in Step 2, you need to submit a Planning Permit application.

Before you apply, we recommend that you use myLot, our free planning enquiry tool, to help you understand why a permit is or isn't needed, in reference the relevant planning rules and overlays.

This tool is intended as a helpful guide and isn’t a final planning decision.

Use our free planning enquiry tool

You can contact our Statutory Planning team on 03 9278 4888 to:

• confirm the requirements of the application for a Planning Permit in relation to your home based business.  
• check whether you need other Planning Permits. For example for signage, or for buildings and works to your premises as a result of the proposed home-based business.

To apply for a Planning Permit for a home-based business:

• Provide 3 copies of the existing and proposed site plans clearly showing the extent of the home-based business. In other words, show how much of the floor area will be used to conduct the business.
• Provide details of the proposed operational methods, including hours of operation, staff numbers, location of car parking for staff and visitors.
• Provide a recent Certificate of Title. Use the Landata website to get this item. The certificate cannot be more than 28 days old.
• Apply for the Planning Permit.
• Submit your application, documents and pay the fee. For instructions see Apply for a Planning Permit.

Application assessment

We'll assess your application and let you know if it is approved or if we need more information. When we assess your application, we consider:

• whether there is a need for additional parking or loading facilities
• the effect of any vehicle parking, storage or washing facilities on the amenity and character of the street
• whether the site is suitable for the particular home based business and is compatible with surrounding uses and developments
• whether there is a need for landscaping to screen any outbuildings, car parking, loading areas or any other area relating to the home based business.

Depending on the nature of your home business, you may need to apply for other permits or approvals before you can operate. For example, if you’re starting a food business, you’ll need to register the business and comply with health and safety requirements.

• Find out which other permits you may need for your home business.
• Check if you need to apply for any registrations or licenses with the Australian Business Licence and Information Service.
• Access external business resources to learn about registering your business name, applying for an ABN, finding insurance cover, and more.

When you run your home-based business, it's important to comply with State planning laws.

Be aware of whether any of the following may affect the amenity of your neighbourhood:

• changes to the appearance of your home
• customers or staff parking vehicles in the street
• the transportation of materials or goods to or from your home
• the hours of operation
• electrical interference
• the storage of chemicals, gasses or other hazardous materials
• noise and other emissions associated with the business.

Common complaints about businesses being run from home are about:

• noise being generated
• long term parking outside neighbouring properties. 

Make sure that you consider your neighbours in regard to these matters.

Also, make sure that you don't impose a load on any utility greater than normally needed for domestic use. Keep an eye on whether you are drawing more power from the grid than you would in day-to-day living, and whether you are making more frequent use of waste disposal services.