A building permit is formal approval from the local government allowing specified building work to legally commence. It confirms the proposed work has been assessed against applicable building standards, including the National Construction Code and relevant approvals.

When Do You Need a Building Permit in WA?

For almost all building work. The main exemption is a freestanding Class 10a structure of 10m² or less and 2.4m or less in height, outside wind regions C and D. Anything attached to your house needs a permit whatever its size. Exempt from a permit does not mean exempt from the National Construction Code.

A building permit is issued by your local government acting as the permit authority, under the Building Act 2011.

What a Building Permit Is Actually Checking

Not whether your project suits the neighbourhood. That is the planning side.

A building permit is about whether the thing is safe and properly built: structural adequacy, footings, fire separation, damp and weatherproofing, health and amenity, safe movement, energy performance, smoke alarms.

The assessment is done by a registered building surveyor, and the certificate that comes out of it is what your council relies on to issue the permit.

Certified or Uncertified: The Choice That Changes Everything

Two routes to the same permit.

Certified

A registered private building surveyor assesses your plans and issues a certificate of design compliance. You lodge that with your application, and the council issues the permit largely on the strength of it.

• Councils typically determine in 10 working days
• Prescribed fee: 0.19% of the value of the work for a Class 1 or Class 10 building, minimum $121
• Must be lodged complete, with every prior approval already in hand
• You pay the private surveyor separately

Uncertified

The council’s own building surveyors do the assessment. They issue the certificate and the permit.

• Typically 25 working days
• Prescribed fee: 0.32% of the value of the work, minimum $121
• Can be lodged while a planning application is pending, but sits on hold until that approval issues
• No separate surveyor fee

Which is actually cheaper

The council fee is higher on the uncertified route, not lower. 0.32% against 0.19%.

What you save going uncertified is the private surveyor’s fee. On a small job that usually nets out cheaper. On a larger one the percentage difference on the value of the work can exceed what a surveyor would have charged.

The other consideration is not money. On a certified application you find out what a building surveyor thinks before your council has the file. On anything with a variation, a boundary question or an unusual detail, that is worth more than the fortnight you save.

More on each route: the BA1 form and the BA2 form 

What a Building Permit Costs in WA

Three layers, and only the first is the same everywhere.

Layer one: the prescribed application fee

Set by regulation. Identical at every council.

Application	Fee
Certified, Class 1 or Class 10	0.19%of the value of the work, min $121
Certified, Class 2 to Class 9	0.09% of the value, min $121
Uncertified, any class	0.32% of the value, min $121
Demolition permit, Class 1 or 10	$121
Application to extend time on a permit	$121

Layer two: the Building Services Levy

	Over $45,000 of work	$45,000 or less
Building permit	0.137% of the value	$61.65

Layer three: everything your council adds

Verge bonds, inspection fees, and the Construction Training Fund levy at 0.2% of construction value above $20,000. These vary, and they change on 1 July.

How the value of work is calculated

The percentages above run off the value of the work, and the definition is broader than most people assume.

It is the sum of all goods including manufactured goods forming part of the work, labour, necessary services, fees payable, overheads, and the profit margin, all including GST.

Under-declaring it is not a saving. If the final cost varies by $25,000 or more over the estimate in your application, an additional levy becomes payable directly to Building and Energy.

How Long Does a Building Permit Take?

Ten working days certified, 25 working days uncertified, from a complete lodgement. Where planning approval is also required it must be issued first, on its own 60 day statutory clock. Add three to six weeks for drawings before any of that.

If the permit authority needs more information you generally have 21 calendar days to provide it. They then have the balance of their period to determine. Miss the 21 days and the application can be refused.

How Long a Building Permit Lasts

A building permit last for 2 years to complete the work. Where work has not been completed within the permit’s period, you can apply to extend the time, and the prescribed fee for that application is $121.

There is a Building and Energy industry bulletin dedicated to permit duration, which tells you how often this comes up.

What Happens After the Permit

The part people forget, and it matters when you sell.

Notice of completion. Lodged when the work is finished. If the final cost varied by $25,000 or more over the estimate, additional levy is payable.

Notice of cessation. Lodged if the work stops and will not be completed.

Occupancy permit. Required for Class 2 to Class 9 buildings. Class 1 and Class 10 buildings do not need one.

Building approval certificate. The Class 1 and 10 equivalent, used where you need approval for an existing building rather than proposed work.

Amending a Permit

Two things change often enough to have their own form: the builder’s details and the permit itself.

There is no levy payable on a request to amend a building permit or builder’s details, which makes it one of the few free moves in the process.

What You Have to Submit

Varies by council, but the shape is consistent:

• the application form, signed by every owner
• an accurate estimated value of the work, including GST
• builder’s details, or owner-builder approval
• the prescribed fee and all applicable levies
• planning approval, where required
• the drawing set: site plan at 1:200, floor plan, elevations and sections at 1:100, construction details at 1:50
• structural engineering
• an energy assessment, for habitable buildings
• a Bushfire Attack Level report, where the lot is bushfire prone
• the certificate of design compliance, on a certified application

Building Permit Questions

Who issues a building permit in WA?

Your local government, acting as the permit authority under the Building Act 2011. The technical assessment is done by a registered building surveyor, either private on a certified application or the council’s own on an uncertified one.

How much does a building permit cost in WA?

The prescribed application fee is 0.19% of the value of the work for a certified Class 1 or 10 application, or 0.32% uncertified, with a $121 minimum either way. The Building Services Levy adds 0.137% above $45,000 of work, or $61.65 below it. Council fees and levies sit on top.

What is the difference between certified and uncertified?

Certified means a private building surveyor has already assessed the plans and issued a certificate of design compliance. Uncertified means the council’s surveyors do it. Certified is faster and carries a lower prescribed fee. Uncertified avoids a separate surveyor fee.

Do I need a building permit for a shed?

Not if it is freestanding, 10m² or less and 2.4m or less high. Almost every practical shed exceeds that. See council approval for a shed  [link to: /council-approval-for-shed].

Can I start work before the permit is issued?

No. Commencing building work without a permit is an offence under section 9 of the Building Act 2011 unless the work is exempt.

What if my building permit expires?

Apply to extend the time. The prescribed fee is $121.

Do I need a building permit for a fence?

Sometimes. A fence is a Class 10b structure and whether a permit is needed depends on its height, type and your council’s local laws. See front fence council approval