Melville Draftsman

Melville Draftsman for City of Melville Plans and Approvals

The City of Melville publishes the most detailed list of planning exemptions of any council in Perth. Garages, carports, sheds, patios, fences, granny flats, retaining walls, water tanks and cubby houses each have their own written criteria, and if your design lands inside them you skip development approval entirely.

That is worth real money. It also means the numbers matter, because the exemptions are pass or fail. This page sets out what the City of Melville exempts, where the thresholds sit, and the conditions that catch people out.

What a Melville draftsman does on a City of Melville application

Because Melville’s exemption criteria are so specific, the drafting job here is largely about landing inside them deliberately rather than by luck.

For a City of Melville project that means:

Testing the design against the published exemption criteria before assuming an application is needed
Confirming the R-code, because open space percentages and street setbacks move with density
Checking whether the property is on the City’s Heritage List, which removes almost every exemption
Checking Local Planning Policy 3.1 Residential Development and Local Planning Policy 1.17 Additional Development Exemptions
Running the 50 per cent site coverage calculation, which Melville applies to sheds and garages and which most homeowners have never heard of
Preparing documentation to the City’s standard so assessment is not delayed

We draw architectural and planning documentation. We do not produce structural engineering drawings or electrical design.

What “Melville council approval” actually means

People use “council approval” to cover two or three separate things. They are assessed by different people under different legislation, and most projects do not need all of them.

A building permit. The construction approval under the Building Act 2011, covering structural adequacy, fire separation, energy efficiency and compliance with the National Construction Code. You will almost always need this one.

Development approval, also called planning approval or a DA. The planning assessment against the R-Codes, the local planning scheme and the council’s own local planning policies, covering siting, setbacks, height, bulk, open space and streetscape.

Here is the part that saves people time and money. On most smaller residential jobs, development approval is only needed where the design does not meet the deemed-to-comply provisions of the R-Codes. Draw a patio, shed or carport inside the numbers and you generally go straight to a building permit. Step outside them and you are asking for a variation, and the variation is what triggers the planning application.

A deemed-to-comply check. This is the step most people have never heard of. Where no development approval is needed, your building surveyor still needs evidence of that before issuing a certificate of design compliance. A number of WA councils run a formal written check for exactly this purpose, and some expect it before a building permit will proceed even where the design fully complies. Fees and turnarounds vary widely: the Town of Victoria Park charges $73, while the Town of Cambridge charges $295 for a new single house and $100 for additions, with a 14 day response. The City of Melville offers a deemed-to-comply check alongside its written planning advice service.

One rule holds everywhere. Being exempt from development approval does not exempt you from a building permit.

The Melville 50 per cent rule

This one deserves its own heading because it appears in two separate exemptions and it is not a standard R-Codes provision.

For both a garage and an outbuilding, Melville requires that the area of the proposed structure, together with the area of all existing buildings on the site including the house, does not exceed 50 per cent. Exceed it and the exemption falls away regardless of how well every other number works.

That interacts with the open space requirement, which varies by density:

R-code	Minimum open space
R12.5	55%
R15 to R25	50%
R30 to R40	45%

On an older Melville block with a large original house, a double garage and an existing shed, a new outbuilding can breach the 50 per cent figure long before it breaches the 60m2 shed cap. Run that calculation first, not last.

City of Melville patio rules

A patio does not need development approval in Melville where it satisfies all of the following:

It is set back 0m from a primary street or 1.5m from a secondary street
It has a maximum eave height of 3.0m above natural ground level
It has a maximum ridge height of 3.5m above natural ground level
It is open on at least two sides
It does not cover more than two thirds of the primary outdoor living area

Melville is one of the more generous Perth councils on patio coverage. Two thirds of the outdoor living area may be roofed, where the City of Joondalup permits only about one third. If you have been given a coverage figure by an installer working across the metro area, check which council they had in mind.

There is a separate and easily missed condition on boundary posts. A post may sit within 1.0 metre of the side boundary, provided the cumulative length of structures on that boundary, including the existing house, outbuildings and other shade structures, is less than 9 metres. That is a whole-of-boundary calculation, not a patio calculation. An existing garage wall on the boundary eats into your 9 metres before the patio is drawn.

Pergolas and shade sails are generally exempt outright in a residential zone unless the property is heritage listed.

The Melville patio heights are planning numbers only

Melville’s 3.0m eave and 3.5m ridge limits are planning heights. Fire separation is a separate question decided at building permit stage.

Western Australia adopted NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026, introducing WA Part 9.6 for roofed outdoor areas. It gives two routes to the boundary: 900mm measured to the outermost structural projection and excluding the eave overhang, or 500mm measured to the outermost projection and including the eave overhang.

The 500mm route brings conditions with it, including two or more sides open with at least one third of the perimeter open, a non-combustible supporting structure, a polycarbonate or non-combustible roof covering, a non-combustible floor, no direct vertical support to the house, and a solid non-combustible screen at least 1500mm high along every side facing a boundary. Where that does not suit the project, use the 900mm route instead.

City of Melville shed and outbuilding rules

An outbuilding does not need development approval in Melville where it:

Is not attached to the dwelling
Is non-habitable
Collectively does not exceed 60m2 or 10 per cent of the site area, whichever is less
Has a wall height not exceeding 2.4m from natural ground level
Has a ridge height not exceeding 4.2m from natural ground level
Sits outside the primary and secondary street setback area
Is set back 1 metre from side and rear boundaries
Together with all existing buildings does not exceed 50 per cent of the site
Is not on a property listed on the Heritage List

For an R15 to R25 area, the primary street setback is 6m and the secondary street setback for a corner lot is generally 3m.

The City notes that in some circumstances an outbuilding may be built up to the boundary without development approval. That is a discussion to have with a planning officer rather than an assumption to design around.

Melville holds the outbuilding wall height at the R-Codes default of 2.4m. Some Perth councils lift it to 3.0m, so a shed sized for a caravan or a boat on a trailer will generally need a development application here.

City of Melville garage and carport rules

Melville sets separate criteria for the two, and the garage criteria are noticeably more demanding.

A garage is exempt where:

It is set back 5m from a primary street or 3.0m from a secondary street
The garage door is set back 3.0m where parallel to the street, and the street facing wall includes windows
The width of the garage and supporting structures does not exceed 50 per cent of the frontage for a single storey dwelling, or 60 per cent for a two storey dwelling
The garage plus all existing buildings does not exceed 50 per cent of the site
The property is not heritage listed

A carport is exempt where:

It is set back 0m
It uses materials, style and roof pitch compatible with the dwelling
It is designed to allow an unobstructed view between the dwelling and the street, right of way or equivalent
It does not exceed 50 per cent of the frontage at the building line

The windows requirement on a street facing garage wall is a genuine design constraint, not a formality. It exists to keep passive surveillance of the street, and a blank garage wall facing the street will cost you the exemption.

City of Melville fence rules

Melville publishes precise fence criteria, which is useful because front fences are a common source of retrospective problems.

A front or secondary street fence is exempt where:

Maximum pier height is 0m
Maximum height of the solid portion is 2m
Maximum height of infill panels is 8m
Anything above 1.2m and up to 1.8m meets the R-Codes visual permeability test: continuous gaps of 50mm or greater occupying at least one third of the surface area, or gaps under 50mm occupying at least one half in aggregate, or a surface offering equal or lesser obstruction to view
A sight line truncation is provided, reducing the fence to no higher than 75m within 1.5m of a driveway or street intersection. Alternatively the truncation may carry one pier, a maximum wall height of 0.75m measured from the adjacent verge height, and 80 per cent visual permeability

Two conditions people miss. A solid portion up to 1.8m is permitted on the secondary street where it abuts the main primary outdoor living area, with the remainder visually permeable. And where a retaining wall is visible above the road reserve level, its visible height counts toward the fence height. On a sloping Melville block that alone can push a compliant looking fence over the limit.

Dividing fences up to 2.3m do not need planning approval, but your neighbour’s written consent is required above 1.8m. Retaining walls up to 500mm above ground level are exempt.

Granny flats and ancillary dwellings in Melville

Melville exempts ancillary dwellings from development approval where:

It is associated with a single house on the same lot
The lot is not less than 450m2
Maximum plot ratio area is 70m2
One extra parking bay is provided, which may be waived where the dwelling is within 800m of a train station or 250m of a high frequency bus route
It complies with the R-Codes and the City’s local planning policies

There is an important title condition. The exemption applies only where the land title contains no common property, so a green title lot or a survey strata with no common property. On a survey strata with common property the exemption does not apply.

A granny flat in Melville cannot be subdivided from the main dwelling, but it can be rented to people unrelated to the occupants of the main house.

The train station and bus route waiver is worth checking on a Melville project, given how much of the City sits near the Mandurah line at Bull Creek and Murdoch.

Other Melville exemptions worth knowing

Structure	Exemption criteria
Cubby house	Outside the street setback, floor no more than 1m above natural ground, wall height 2.4m, overall height 3m, floor area no more than 10m2, not within 1m of more than one boundary
Water tank	Outside the street setback, no more than 5,000L, height limited to the eaves where fixed to a building, 2.4m where free standing more than 1m from a boundary, 1.8m where 1m or less from a boundary
Flagpole	No more than 6m high, no more than 200mm diameter, not used for advertising, one per lot
Swimming pool or spa	Exempt unless the property is heritage listed
Solar panels	Exempt where the R-Codes apply
Demolition	Exempt unless the property is on the Heritage List
Temporary works	Exempt up to 48 hours

The Heritage List runs through almost every exemption on this page. If the property is listed, assume you need approval and work from there.

Melville projects and what they teach you

Second storey additions and extensions across the City of Melville are a steady part of our workload, along with patios, sheds and ancillary dwellings on the established blocks through the river suburbs and the Kardinya and Willagee area.

The pattern in Melville is different from most councils. Because the exemption criteria are so explicitly published, the work shifts from arguing a variation to engineering the design so no variation is needed. On a Melville job the most valuable hour is usually the first one, spent checking site coverage, open space and boundary structure lengths before anything is drawn.

A Melville homeowner described the process on a second storey addition:

> We contacted Perth Drafting when we started looking into a second-storey addition to our home in the City of Melville and quickly realised there was a lot more involved than we expected. Kyle was easy to deal with and took the time to walk us through the design process, planning requirements and what would be needed for council approval. The final plans looked great, approval was achieved, and we always felt informed about what was happening next.

> Billy Chen, Google review

Melville drafting services

Project type	What we prepare
Second storey additions	Full working drawings, elevations, sections
New single houses	Concept design through to submission documentation
Renovations and extensions	Existing and proposed plans, demolition plan
Patios and outdoor areas	Plans with the two thirds coverage and 9m boundary calculation
Sheds and outbuildings	Plans tested against the 60m2 cap and the 50 per cent site coverage rule
Garages and carports	Frontage width and street setback assessment
Granny flats and ancillary dwellings	Plans and area calculations to the 70m2 limit
Front fences and retaining walls	Plans including sight line truncation and retaining wall height

What a City of Melville development application costs

Application fees are set by state regulation and are identical at every WA council, calculated on the estimated cost of development:

Estimated cost of development	Application fee
Not more than $50,000	$147
$50,001 to $500,000	0.32% of the estimated cost
$500,001 to $2.5 million	$1,700 plus 0.257% of the amount above $500,000
Written planning advice	$73
Amending or cancelling an approval	$295

If the work has already been built, the fee is that figure plus a penalty of twice the fee, so three times the normal amount.

In Melville the bigger saving is usually avoiding the application altogether. The City also offers a request for written planning advice and a deemed-to-comply check where a project is complex enough to warrant confirmation before lodgement.

Our drafting fee is quoted per project rather than by a rate card, because a flat Willagee block and a sloping river view lot in Bicton are not the same job. As a rough guide only, a patio or shed submission sits at the lower end, a renovation or addition in the middle, and a new house or second storey at the upper end. You get a fixed figure before we start.

How long the drawings take

We are one of the quicker drafting practices in Perth, and we would rather tell you that plainly than quote a number we cannot stand behind.

Turnaround depends on what is being drawn. A patio or a shed is not a second storey addition, and a straightforward flat block is not a sloping site with an existing dwelling to survey and match into. Anyone quoting you a fixed timeframe before seeing the scope is guessing.

What we do is give you a realistic date once we have seen the project, and then keep to it. If we cannot hit something you need, we say so before you commit rather than after.

It is also worth knowing that on most jobs the drafting is not the long pole. The parts that usually set the overall timeline are:

The council clock, which is set by regulation rather than by us
Third party reports, such as a Bushfire Attack Level assessment, an arborist report or engineering certification, each of which has its own lead time
Decisions, meaning how quickly changes come back once you have the first draft in front of you

Those are the things worth planning around, and we will tell you which of them apply to your project at the start.

Draftsman services by Melville suburb

The City of Melville sits between the Swan and Canning rivers and the coast, and covers 18 suburbs. Where your lot sits changes what governs the design.

Suburb	What tends to drive the design
Applecross, Ardross and Mount Pleasant draftsman	River views, higher densities in parts, overshadowing and building height drive second storey design
Bicton, Attadale and Palmyra draftsman	Older character stock, worth checking the Heritage List before assuming any exemption
Booragoon and Myaree draftsman	Mixed density near the activity centre, R-code confirmation matters
Kardinya and Winthrop draftsman	Established family blocks, second storey additions and extensions dominate
Willagee draftsman	Older smaller lots, ancillary dwellings and site coverage are the constraints
Bull Creek, Leeming and Murdoch draftsman	Near the Mandurah line, so the ancillary dwelling parking waiver often applies
Bateman and Brentwood draftsman	Larger lots, outbuilding and patio work common
Alfred Cove and Melville draftsman	Standard R-Codes assessment in most cases, foreshore proximity matters in parts

Melville draftsman questions

Do I need council approval for a patio in Melville?

Not if it meets the exemption criteria: 3.0m from a primary street or 1.5m from a secondary street, eave height no more than 3.0m, ridge height no more than 3.5m, open on at least two sides, and covering no more than two thirds of the primary outdoor living area. A post can sit within 1.0m of the side boundary only where the cumulative length of all structures on that boundary, including the house and any shed, is under 9 metres. Note that this exempts you from development approval only. A building permit is still required.

How big a shed can I build in Melville without approval?

Up to 60m2 or 10 per cent of the site area, whichever is less, with a wall height under 2.4m and a ridge height under 4.2m, set back 1 metre from side and rear boundaries and outside the street setback area. The shed plus every other building on the site must also stay under 50 per cent site coverage, which is the condition most people miss. This removes the development approval only, not the building permit.

Do I need approval for a granny flat in Melville?

Not if the lot is at least 450m2, the plot ratio area is no more than 70m2, one extra parking bay is provided, and the design complies with the R-Codes and the City’s policies. The parking bay can be waived within 800m of a train station or 250m of a high frequency bus route. The exemption only applies where the title has no common property, and it removes the development approval only. A granny flat always needs a building permit.

How high can my front fence be in Melville?

Piers up to 2.0m, a solid portion up to 1.2m, and infill panels up to 1.8m where the section above 1.2m is visually permeable. You also need a sight line truncation dropping to 0.75m within 1.5m of a driveway or intersection. Where a retaining wall is visible above the road reserve level, its visible height counts toward the fence height, which catches out sloping blocks.

Does being on the Heritage List change things in Melville?

Substantially. Heritage listing removes the exemption for new single houses, garages, carports, sheds, swimming pools, demolition, maintenance works and pergolas. On a listed property, assume development approval is required and design on that basis.