Legislation and Practice Notes

Building Act 1993

The Building Act 1993 (the Act) governs building activity in Victoria. It sets out the legislative framework for the regulation of building construction, building standards and the maintenance of specific building safety features.

View the Building Act 1993 online

Building Regulations 2018

The Building Regulations 2018 are derived from the Act and contain, among other things, the requirements relating to building permits, building inspections, occupancy permits, enforcement of the Regulations and maintenance of buildings.

View the Building Regulations 2018 online

National Construction Code

The National Construction Code (NCC) is an initiative of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) developed to incorporate all on-site building and plumbing requirements into a single code.

The NCC sets the minimum necessary requirements for safety, health, amenity and sustainability in the design and construction of new buildings (and new building work in existing buildings) throughout Australia. It comprises the Building Code of Australia and the Plumbing Code of Australia.

The NCC is available for free download from the Australian Building Codes Board website.

Practice Notes

• Practice Note 1 (2019) - Applications for Modification and Compliance Assessments (PDF, 271.89 KB)
  For the Board to assess applications appropriately and make a meaningful determination, the quality of your submission is important.
• Practice Note 2 (2019) - Statement of Contentions and Points of Claim (PDF, 160.48 KB)
  A Statement of Contentions / Points of Claim is a written statement that sets out the facts of the applicant's matter and what result the applicant is seeking.
• Practice Note 3 (2019) - Directions Hearings (PDF, 143.18 KB)
  A directions hearing is a hearing where a Board member decides how a case should be managed and how much time it will take. Directions hearings are not required for every case.
• Practice Note 4 (2019) - Hearings (PDF, 184.78 KB)
  The hearing allows all parties to make submissions, give and hear evidence and ask questions.
• Practice Note 5 (2020) - Expert Evidence (PDF, 255.17 KB)
  Expert witness evidence may be relied upon by the Board to form an opinion about a specialised or technical matter that is relevant to the issues to be determined in a proceeding. Where expert evidence is provided in the form of a written report and/or the expert is being called as a witness, it is important that the expert's opinion is soundly based, complete, impartial, dispassionate, and within the scope of his or her expertise.
• Practice Note 6 (2020) - General procedure for conducting electronic hearings (e-hearings) (PDF, 182.6 KB)
  An electronic hearing (‘e-hearing’) allows all parties a chance to participate in a hearing of a proceeding via an online audio/visual platform in a virtual e-hearing room.
• Practice Note 7 (2021) - Proceedings concerning combustible external wall materials (CEWM) (PDF, 190.68 KB)
  This practice note provides guidance in respect of proceedings concerning CEWM brought under either ss 142, 160 or 160A of the Building Act 1993.
• Practice Note 8A (2021) - Disputes and Compensation proceedings in respect of Part 7 of the Building Act 1993 (Protection Work) (PDF, 249.92 KB)
  This practice note provides guidance on disputes and compensation proceedings arising out of the protection work process.
• Practice Note 8B (2021) - Appeal proceedings in respect of Decisions made under Part 7 of the Building Act 1993 (Protection Work) (PDF, 241.33 KB)
  This practice note provides guidance on appeals that may be made against certain decisions or a failure to make certain decisions during the protection work process.