Boddington Draftsman for Shire of Boddington Plans and Council Approval
The Shire of Boddington is a small inland shire about 120 kilometres south east of Perth, built around gold and bauxite mining and the Hotham River.
Drafting here is mostly rural and townsite work, and the framework is the standard state one rather than an elaborate set of local variations. That makes it more predictable than the metropolitan councils, provided you confirm the zone and the bushfire position first.
What a Boddington draftsman or Boddington drafter does for you
Boddington covers the townsite and substantial surrounding rural and agricultural land, with the Hotham and Williams rivers running through it.
For a Shire of Boddington project that means:
- Confirming the zone, because rural, rural residential and townsite land are assessed differently
- Checking whether the lot is in a designated bushfire prone area, which much of the Shire is
- Checking flood considerations where the lot sits near the Hotham or Williams rivers
- Testing the design against the Shire’s Local Planning Scheme and the R-Codes deemed-to-comply provisions
- Confirming whether a dwelling exists on the lot, since most WA shires do not permit a standalone shed on vacant land
- Preparing documentation to the Shire’s lodgement standard
We draw architectural and planning documentation. We do not produce structural engineering drawings or electrical design.
What “Boddington 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, or the equivalent standards in a local planning policy. Draw a shed, patio 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. Clause 61A of the deemed provisions lets you ask the council to confirm it in writing. Fees vary widely: the Town of Victoria Park charges $73, the Town of Cambridge charges $295 for a new single house and $100 for additions with a 14 day response, and some councils do not offer it at all. Ask the Shire of Boddington directly whether they run one and whether your building surveyor will want it before lodging.
One rule holds everywhere. Being exempt from development approval does not exempt you from a building permit.
Building in the Shire of Boddington
Residential development in Boddington is assessed against the R-Codes as applied by the Shire’s Local Planning Scheme. Where a design meets the deemed-to-comply provisions, development approval is generally not required and the project proceeds to a building permit.
Three things most commonly pull a Boddington job into a development application:
- Bushfire prone land. Much of the Shire is designated, and any development or change of use in a bushfire prone area generally requires assessment. Where a Bushfire Attack Level assessment is triggered, the rating determines the construction standard under AS 3959 for walls, windows, decking, roof and subfloor
- Rural zoning. Outbuildings on rural and rural residential land are commonly assessed rather than exempt, and setbacks are substantially larger than on townsite lots
- Vacant land. As in most WA shires, a shed with no dwelling on the lot is treated as a storage or warehouse use rather than something incidental to a house
Under Schedule 4 of the Building Regulations 2012, a building permit is not required for a freestanding Class 10a building with a floor area not exceeding 10m2 and a height no more than 2.4m. Above either figure, a permit is required.
The practical sequencing lesson for a Boddington project is the same as the rest of the hills and wheatbelt: establish the bushfire position early enough that it informs the design, because the rating changes what the building is made of and materials flow straight into cost.
Patios and fire separation in Boddington
Fire separation is decided separately 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 carries conditions 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 build, use the 900mm route.
An enclosed shed is assessed under Part 9.2 instead, which is a different rule set.
Boddington plans we prepare
| Project type | What we prepare |
| New homes | Concept design through to submission documentation |
| Sheds, workshops and garages | Plans tested against the Scheme and the R-Codes |
| Additions and extensions | Existing and proposed plans, demolition plan |
| Patios and alfrescos | Plans with the fire separation route identified |
| Ancillary dwellings | Plans and area calculations to the 70m2 limit |
| Carports and garages | Setback and siting assessment |
| Retaining walls and front fences | Plans including sight line truncation |
| Development applications | Documentation with supporting justification |
What Shire of Boddington approval costs
Development application fees are set by state regulation and are the same 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.
Our drafting fee is quoted per project rather than by a rate card, because every lot and every brief differs. As a rough guide only, a patio or shed submission sits at the lower end, an addition in the middle, and a new home 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 Boddington locality
| Locality | What tends to drive the design |
| Boddington draftsman | Townsite lots, mine related housing demand, standard R-Codes assessment in most cases |
| Ranford draftsman | Rural land, larger sheds with substantial setbacks |
| Crossman draftsman | Rural holdings, bushfire assessment commonly triggered |
| Lower Hotham draftsman | Rural and river adjacent, flood and bushfire both worth checking |
Boddington draftsman questions
Do I need approval for a shed in Boddington?
It depends on your zone and whether the design meets the deemed-to-comply provisions of the R-Codes and the Shire’s Scheme. On townsite land a compliant shed generally proceeds to a building permit without a development application. On rural and rural residential land, outbuildings are more commonly assessed. Confirm the zone with the Shire before designing.
Do I need a building permit for a small shed in Boddington?
Not for a freestanding Class 10a building with a floor area no greater than 10m2 and a height no greater than 2.4m under Schedule 4 of the Building Regulations. Above either figure a permit is required, and the exemption never removes your obligation to comply with the National Construction Code and the R-Codes.
Does bushfire affect my Boddington project?
Very likely. Much of the Shire is in a designated bushfire prone area. Where a Bushfire Attack Level assessment is triggered, the rating determines the construction standard under AS 3959, which affects walls, windows, decking, roof and subfloor. Establish it before finalising the design.
Can I build a shed before the house in Boddington?
As in most WA shires, generally not. A shed with no dwelling on the lot is treated as a storage or warehouse land use rather than something incidental to a dwelling. Confirm the Shire’s position before proceeding.
