Melbourne Planning Scheme

• You can see the Melbourne Planning Scheme (Online) at the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The Melbourne Planning Scheme controls land use and development within the City of Melbourne. It contains state and local planning policies, zones and overlays and other provisions that affect how land can be used and developed.

The planning scheme determines if a planning permit is required to change the use of land or to construct a building or make other changes to the land and specifies relevant assessment criteria when a planning permit is required.

In most instances, buildings and works in the municipality, whether residential or business, must be approved by Council through the planning permit application process.

See also:

• Incorporated documents
• Compliance and enforcement

How do I find out which planning scheme controls apply to my property?

Every property has a set of planning controls which specify when a planning permit is required.  Different controls apply to different properties, so it is important to find out which controls affect your property before embarking on the planning permit assessment process.

To find out what controls apply to your property you can:

• View Department of Planning and Community Development Planning website
  • Planning schemes online
  • Planning maps online
  • Free planning property reports
• Purchase a Planning Certificate from Land Victoria

View planning scheme maps in person between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday at:

Planning and building counter
Level 3,
Council House 2,
240 Little Collins Street,
Melbourne.

Melbourne Planning Scheme Local Planning Policy quick links at the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD)

• Clause 22.01 Urban Design within the Capital City Zone (PDF, 176kb)
• Clause 22.02 Sunlight to Public Spaces (PDF, 25kb )
• Clause 22.04 Heritage Places within the Capital City Zone (PDF, 51kb)
• Clause 22.05 Heritage Places outside the Capital City Zone (PDF, 45kb)
• Clause 22.07 Advertising Signs (PDF, 68kb )
• Clause 22.10 Amusement Parlours (PDF, 26kb)
• Clause 22.11 Sexually Explicit Adult Establishments (PDF, 26kb)
• Clause 22.12 Gaming Premises (PDF, 30kb)
• Clause 22.14 Discretionary Uses in Residential 1 Areas (PDF, 30kb)
• Clause 22.15 Lygon and Elgin Street Shopping Centre (PDF, 83kb)
• Clause 22.17 Urban Design outside the Capital City Zone (PDF, 41kb)
• Clause 22.18 Urban Design within the Docklands Zone (PDF, 148kb)
• Clause 22.19 Environmentally Sustainable Office Buildings (PDF, 38kb)
• Clause 22.20 CBD Lanes (PDF, 1.3Mb)
• Clause 22.21 Heritage Places within the World Heritage Environs Area (PDF, 330kb)
• Clause 22.22 Policy for licensed premises that require a planning permit (PDF, 43kb)

Definitions are available at Clause 70-74 of the Melbourne Planning Scheme.