Verandahs

Check for easements

An easement is an area of land on your property that councils and other authorities are allowed to access. When an easement is obstructed, it can prevent important maintenance work and block the flow of stormwater.

Check your Certificate of Title for any easements. If you don’t have this document, you can get a copy from the Landata website for a small fee.

Check for restrictive covenants

A restrictive covenant is a private agreement between land owners that restricts the way land can be used and developed. If your property is impacted by a restrictive covenant, it may stipulate the material out of which you may construct the verandah.

Check your Certificate of Title for any restrictive covenants. If you don’t have this document, you can get a copy from the Landata website for a small fee.

Check for special restrictions

Some properties have special restrictions under the Boroondara Planning Scheme.

To check if your property is listed, visit the Department of Transport and Planning website’s Schedule to Clause 51.01 Specific Sites and Exclusions page.

If your property is listed, contact our Statutory Planning team to find out what special restrictions and exemptions apply.

Does your property have any restrictions?

• If yes, check that your verandah plans comply with any requirements, then go to the next step. 
• If no, go to the next step.

Create a Planning Property Report on the VicPlan website by entering the address of your property. This will show you any overlays (restrictions).

You need a Planning Permit if your property has any of these overlays:

• Heritage Overlay 
• Environmental Significance Overlay
• Special Building Overlay
• Land Subject to Inundation Overlay
• Public Acquisition Overlay
• Design and Development Overlay (except for Design and Development Overlay Schedule 4)
• Significant Landscape Overlay and your structure is 6 m or taller from the natural ground level to its highest point.

If your property is on the Victorian Heritage Register you may also need approval from Heritage Victoria. Contact Heritage Victoria for advice on how to apply for approval.

If your property has a Development Plan Overlay, contact our Statutory Planning team for advice on whether you need a Planning Permit.

Planning enquiry tool

Use myLot, our planning enquiry tool, to help you:

• find overlays that apply to your property
• determine if your verandah requires a planning permit
• understand why a permit is or isn't needed, referencing the relevant planning rules and overlays.

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

Use our planning enquiry tool

Does your property have any of these overlays?

• If yes, apply for a Planning Permit then go to the next step.
• If no, go to the next step. 

Residential zones

Check the zone of your property in the Planning Property Report you created in Step 2. Your property is zoned residential if it is in one of these 4 zones:

• General Residential
• Neighbourhood Residential
• Mixed Use 
• Residential Growth.

Calculate the area of your property using the boundary dimensions in your Certificate of Title. (Tip: if your property is square or rectangular, calculate the area by multiplying the length of the property by the width).

Measure the height and floor level of your verandah. 

You need a Planning Permit if your property is in a residential zone and all of these apply:

• Your property is more than 300 sqm
• the highest point of the verandah is more than 3 m above the natural ground level, and
• the finished verandah floor is more than 800 mm above the natural ground level.

Commercial or Public Park zones

You need a Planning Permit if your property is zoned as either Commercial or Public Park.

Do you need to apply for a Planning Permit?

• If yes, apply for a Planning Permit then go to the next step.
• If no, go to the next step.

You always need a Building Permit to build a verandah.

Apply for a Building Permit then go to the next step.

You may need other permits, depending on your situation.

If you need to:

• remove, prune or do works within 2 m of a canopy or significant tree during your build, apply for a Tree Works Permit
• store equipment on a road, footpath or nature strip, apply for a Road or Footpath Occupancy Permit. 

If your works could impact:

• driveway access to your property, apply for a Vehicle Crossing Permit 
• public assets, such as roads, footpath or nature strip, apply for an Asset Protection Permit.

You can start construction:

• after all your permits or permissions have been issued
• if your situation does not require any permits or permissions.