Building

The City’s Building team ensures new buildings comply with minimum standards set by the State Government for the health, safety and amenity of the people using them. A building licence is necessary before constructing, altering or demolishing a building.

The Building Code of Australia is the principal document for building control throughout Australia and sets out performance requirements for various classes of buildings, for example outbuildings, houses, offices and public buildings.

The City’s building surveyors provide advice on building regulations and other property-related issues. The building surveyors issue the required licences to construct, alter or demolish buildings.

They may also issue a licence with conditions attached or refuse to issue a licence. Before constructing a building a landowner should consult the building surveyors to determine whether a building licence is required.

The term ‘building’ includes any housing, commercial or industrial developments, garages, carports, pergolas, swimming pools and spas (either above or below ground), certain fences, garden sheds and other outbuildings, retaining walls, and any addition or alteration to any building.

Anyone proposing to start a building project must obtain a building licence before work begins.

To obtain a building licence the owner or their builder must lodge with the City of Albany an application form plus two sets of detailed plans and specifications, and the prescribed fee.

Application forms are available from the City’s North Road administration building or can be downloaded from the Building Application Forms, Checklist and Fee Schedule link below.

Note: Before a building licence can be issued, a planning approval might be needed for the proposed development.

Planning application forms and further information can be obtained from the planning section of this website.

To avoid delays in issuing a building licence, applicants should ensure the application is complete and the plans submitted comply with both the Building Code of Australia and the relevant planning legislation (particularly the Residential Design Codes).

An application for a building licence should contain, but not be limited to, the following:

• Two copies of the site plan drawn to a scale not less than 1:200, showing the position of the new building relative to boundaries and other buildings on the site and also including the features on the land, and finished ground level and finished floor level relative to the contours
• Two copies of plans showing floor plan, all elevations and a longitudinal section drawn to a scale not less than 1:100
• Two sets of specifications with a completed addendum showing the materials to be used
• Two copies of structural details signed by a practising structural engineer
• Position of smoke alarms (if required)
• Proposed termite protection measures
• All fees payable upon lodgement of the building application

To help you to prepare a building licence application, information and check sheets are available for residential, commercial and industrial development and can be obtained from the City’s North Road administration building or can be downloaded by clicking below.

Should your building licence application be rejected or approved with conditions you consider unreasonable, discuss the matter with the City’s building surveyors first. If your concern remains unresolved, you have the right to seek a review of the decision through the State Administrative Tribunal. The appropriate application forms are available through the State Adminstrative Tribunal's web link below.