Rogerson Kenny Business Accountants Melbourne

Permits and Registrations

Are You in the Right Zone and Will You Need a Planning Permit

If you're setting up a new business, undertaking land or building development, or changing the purpose of a property, your fist step is to apply for a planning permit from your local council. The planning permit provides evidence that the council has given approval for you to go ahead with the development. Make an appointment with a council planning officer who will take you through the application process. You will be advised on the zoning of your land and any other local planing conditions that apply to your development.

To get contact details for your local council, use the Find Your Local Council search at the Department for Victorian Communities website.

Does Your Business Involve Any Building Work?

If building work is involved, particularly structural work, both a planning permit and a building permit will probably be required. The planning permit gives council approval for your development to go ahead, while the building permit gives a registered building surveyor's permission for your building work to go ahead and ensures that building regulations are followed. The most common reasons for building permits are to:

• Construct a new building
• Demolish all or part of a building
• Alter or extend an existing building
• Remove all or part of a building
• Change the use of an existing building

Contact the municipal building surveyor at your local council. Alternatively, visit the Building Commission website to find a private registered building surveyor.

Do You Need Licenses, Permits or Registrations?

The licenses, permits and registrations you need are mainly dependent on:

• The type of business you are running
• What activities you want to include in your operations

For example, a restaurant may need the following permits:

• To prepare and serve meals - a planning permit and a council food premises registration
• To see and serve alcohol - a planning permit from the local council and a general liquor license from Consumer Affairs Victoria
• To play recorded music - a background music license from the Australian Performing Rights Association
• To have tables and chairs on the footpath - a permit to establish an outdoor eating facility from the local council

The easiest way to identify the range of local, state and federal licenses, permits and registrations you will need is to go to www.business.vic.gov.au/BLIS.
Click on 'Search the Victorian Business Licence Information Service (BLIS)', choose the type of BLIS report you want and follow the steps. BLIS will then create an online report that provides you with:

• The local, state and federal licenses, permits and registrations you will need for your business set up, such as a planning permit and GST registration
• Downloadable application forms, or links to online registrations for those licenses
• Contact details for your local council and the other relevant authorities

* This information contains a number of specific references to Victorian based resources and websites.
If you are starting a small business in another State or Territory the corresponding websites are:

ACT	http://www.business.act.gov.au/businesslicences	SA	http://sa.bli.net.au
NSW	http://blis.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au	TAS	http://www.blis.tas.gov.au/BLIS/prod/info
NT	http://www.bli.net.au/nt	WA	http://www.licence.sbdc.com.au/index.html
QLD	http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/dsweb/htdocs/slol

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