What do you need for an owner-builder certificate of consent in Victoria?

If the domestic building work on your own land is worth more than $20,000, you need a certificate of consent from the Building and Plumbing Commission before you can be the owner-builder. Source: Commission: Certificate of Consent, opening paragraph; Building Act 1993, section 25B(1) and (2).

On this page, "the Commission" is the Building and Plumbing Commission. Read on 11 October 2026.

How the $20,000 is worked out

• The value counts labour and materials. It is the estimated cost if a registered builder did the work, not what it costs you to do it yourself. Your building surveyor or architect can help with the figure. Source: Commission: What is an owner-builder?, third paragraph.
• You do not need a certificate if the total cost is $20,000 or less, if the work is not domestic building work, or if a registered building practitioner is engaged and will be named on the building permit as responsible for the work. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, When an owner-builder certificate of consent is not needed.

Who is eligible

• You own the land, or you are a director of the company or a beneficiary of the trust that owns it. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, opening list; Building Act 1993, section 25E(1)(b).
• The work relates to a single dwelling, or to something ancillary to it such as a garage, carport, shed, pool, fence or retaining wall. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, Owner-builder project types; Building Act 1993, section 25E(1)(c).
• You live in the dwelling or intend to. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, opening list; Building Act 1993, section 25E(1)(d).
• You are not in the business of building. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, opening list; Building Act 1993, section 25E(1)(h).
• You have not been issued a building permit as an owner-builder for a different property in the previous 5 years. The Commission can grant an exemption in special circumstances, such as hardship. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, opening list; Commission: Certificate of Consent, Restrictions to being an owner-builder; Building Act 1993, section 25E(1)(e).
• You have never entered into a contract to sell an owner-built home without the required insurance. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, opening list; Building Act 1993, section 25E(2).
• You have passed the owner-builder eLearning assessment and done construction induction training for the project. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, opening list.
• Small second dwellings are treated differently on several of these points. Source: Commission: Owner-builder eligibility, opening list; Building Regulations 2018, regulation 19A.

The steps

• Check your eligibility, then download and read the owner-builder information and study guide. Source: Commission: Owner-builder application process, Steps 1 and 2.
• Create an eLearning account and pass the assessment. Everything it asks is covered in the study guide. The eLearning platform is not supported on mobile devices, so use a desktop or laptop. Source: Commission: Owner-builder application process, Step 3; Commission: e-Learning portal and study guide, e-Learning assessment.
• Keep the completion code the assessment gives you. The application form asks for it. Source: Commission: e-Learning portal and study guide, e-Learning assessment.
• Do construction induction training and get a white card, if you are told you need one. Source: Commission: Owner-builder application process, Step 4; Commission: e-Learning portal and study guide, Construction induction training.
• Register on the Commission's online portal with the same email address and date of birth you used for the eLearning, start the application, upload the documents, submit and pay. Source: Commission: Owner-builder application process, Steps 5 to 8; Commission: Apply to be an owner-builder, Applying via the VBA360 portal.

What it costs and how long it takes

• The application fee is $242.40. It is not refunded, whatever the outcome. Source: Commission: e-Learning portal and study guide, Where to apply and cost.
• In the Regulations the fee is set as 14.42 fee units, so the dollar amount moves when the value of a fee unit does. Source: Building Regulations 2018, regulation 18.
• The Commission says processing takes about 45 business days if all the required information is provided. Source: Commission: Apply to be an owner-builder, What happens after you apply.
• If the required evidence is not sent with the application, it may be refused. Source: Commission: Apply to be an owner-builder, opening paragraph.

How long it lasts

• A certificate of consent is valid for 12 months from the date of issue or, if a building permit is obtained in that time, until the permit lapses. Source: Commission: Certificate of Consent, How long does a certificate of consent last?; Building Act 1993, section 25G.
• If the application is refused, you can apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal within 60 days of the date of the decision letter. Source: Commission: Certificate of Consent, What happens if my application is refused?

One warning

• Be wary if a builder or tradesperson asks you to sign as owner-builder when they will be doing all the work. They may be unregistered or avoiding their own obligations, and you become responsible for the work to any later owner. Source: Commission: Owner-builders, during the build, Contracts with other tradespeople; Consumer Affairs Victoria: Owner builders, Warning for potential owner builders.
• The consent is the paperwork. The harder part is knowing what to check on site before each trade is paid, which is what the hold point pack is for.

More for owner-builders in Victoria

• What are the mandatory building inspection stages in Victoria?
• What can an owner-builder do in Victoria?
• The hold point pack: what to check before you pay each trade

Sources for this page

• Building and Plumbing Commission: Certificate of Consent page last updated 30 June 2026, read 11 October 2026. https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/becoming-an-owner-builder/certificate-of-consent
• Building Act 1993 (Vic), authorised version 152, as at 16 September 2026 read 11 October 2026. https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/building-act-1993/152
• Building and Plumbing Commission: What is an owner-builder? page last updated 30 September 2026, read 11 October 2026. https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/what-is-an-owner-builder
• Building and Plumbing Commission: Owner-builder eligibility page last updated 30 June 2026, read 11 October 2026. https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/becoming-an-owner-builder/eligibility
• Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), authorised version 031, as at 1 September 2026 read 11 October 2026. https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/statutory-rules/building-regulations-2018/031
• Building and Plumbing Commission: Owner-builder application process page last updated 30 June 2026, read 11 October 2026. https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/becoming-an-owner-builder/applications-process
• Building and Plumbing Commission: e-Learning portal and study guide page last updated 30 June 2026, read 11 October 2026. https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/becoming-an-owner-builder/e-learning-assessment-and-study-guide
• Building and Plumbing Commission: Apply to be an owner-builder page last updated 30 June 2026, read 11 October 2026. https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/becoming-an-owner-builder/apply
• Building and Plumbing Commission: Owner-builders, during the build read 11 October 2026. https://www.bpc.vic.gov.au/owner-builders/during-the-build
• Consumer Affairs Victoria: Owner builders page last updated 30 June 2025, read 11 October 2026. https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing/building-and-renovating/owner-builders