Opening a business
If you are planning to open a personal care and body art business or prescribed accommodation business you are required to be registered under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.
Registration is valid for 12 months and must be renewed each year. Council will issue an application for renewal of registration.
Personal care and body art businesses include hairdressing, beauty therapy, colonic irrigation, tattooing, body and ear piercing businesses, or any other process involving the penetration of skin.
Current legislation does not require the registration of solaria or massage businesses.
Changing the use of premises
If you propose to change the use of your premises, for example, from a hardware store to a hairdressing salon, you may need to apply for a change of use permit from council’s Development Planning department.
Submit plans
Plans are required if you are going to change the use of the premises or if you are going to make any structural alterations to a new or existing business.
You will need to submit two copies of the plans drawn to scale of not less than 1 to 100 for a prescribed accommodation and no less than 1:50 for other businesses, showing:
- General requirements: floor plan, the layout of all the equipment, fittings and fixtures, where they will be located and how they will be fitted. Include specifications describing the materials to be used on floors, walls and ceiling.
- Specific requirements: indicate the nature of the work process to be carried out with the operation of the establishment. This includes type of treatment rooms for beauty therapy salons or number of beds and room size for prescribed accommodation.
Application form
Fill out the application for preliminary plans form and submit it together with your plans and the required fee.
A standard 15 working day service is provided. A priority five-day service is available on request. The prescribed fee must be submitted with the application as above.
What happens next?
Health Services will check your plans. Once you have received a copy of your endorsed plans together with a letter of additional requirements, you may begin work on the premises.
Premises inspection
You will need to contact Health Services to arrange for an on-site inspection.
Prior to opening you are entitled to:
- one inspection during the construction of your works
- one final inspection on the completion of your works.
The aim of this inspection is to make sure that work is being carried out as per the approved plans. The inspection is also a great opportunity to ask questions of the health officer.
During the final inspection a health officer will check that all of the specified Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 requirements have been met. If all the requirements have not been met the premises may not be able to open.
Health Services also offers applicants the option of additional inspections subject to a fee.
Registration
If the specified requirements have been met a Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 registration form will be given to the applicant. This must be completed and submitted to council with the prescribed fee before the premises or any alterations may be opened to the public.
Once registration has been processed the premises will receive a Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 Certificate of Registration and is then able to open. If the premises opens prior to receiving the Certificate of Registration it will be operating unregistered, which is an offence under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.
Purchasing an existing business
If you are taking over an existing business it is your responsibility to transfer the registration into your own name. An application for transfer of registration form is available from Health Services Branch. A fee is applicable.
Application for transfer of registration (PDF, 35kb) 
Accessible version to come. We apologise for the delay.
Property inquiry
It is recommended that you have a property inquiry carried out for the business you intend to buy. This is for your benefit to check if there are any outstanding issues that fall under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.
Application for property enquiry (PDF, 33kb)
Accessible version to come. We apologise for the delay.
A standard 15 working day service is provided or, if requested, a priority five working day service is available.