Terms and Definitions

A

Addition
any construction or change to a building or facility which increases its external dimensions and cubic contents.
Allotment
means land that can be disposed of separately under section 8A of the Sale of Land Act 1962 without being subdivided.
Alteration
a change to the appearance, function, size or capacity of a building or facility.
Approved
means approved by the relevant building surveyor.
Architect
a person who is registered under an architects’ registration Act and qualified to practice architecture, including the design of buildings and administration of building contracts.

B

BCA
means the Building Code of Australia.
Balcony
an open or covered platform attached to an upper floor of a building, projecting from or recessed into the face of the wall and protected by a railing or balustrade; accessible from an adjacent room.
Balustrade
a series of balusters supporting a handrail or coping at the open side of a stair, ramp, elevated platform, landing, balcony, parapet, or bridge.
Building Act 1993
a legal enactment by a parliament which specifies the procedures to be used in the building control process, outlines the functions and composition of the controlling body or bodies, and grants power to create subordinate regulations, ordinances or by-law
Building Appeals Board (BAB)
is an independent statutory body established under the Building Act 1993. ‘It seeks the best possible building outcomes for the building industry and the community as a whole. It is empowered to determine any matter relating to the Building Regulation 2006 (the Regulations), the Building Code of Australia 2006 and specified provisions of the Building Act 1993 (the Act). The aim is to achieve building safety, amenity and sustainability outcomes matched to community goals.
Building Commission
provides industry leadership and regulates building quality. www.buildingcommission.com.au
Building Inspections
assists builders, contractors, and owners by ensuring that construction projects meet building regulations and codes of practice. They assess design documentation and make on-site inspections during building work, checking that proper methods and materials are used. Inspection results are reported to the building surveyor.
Building Notices
is the first step in the enforcement process and is a written notice requesting the owner to ‘show cause’ why certain actions should not be carried out.
Building Order
is the second step in the enforcement process and is a direction to carry out work to ensure a project complies with the Building Regulations.
Building Permit
is a written approval from a registered building surveyor certifying that your plans comply with the Building Regulations.
Building Practitioners Board
is an independent statutory body established under the Building Act 1993. It oversees the quality and standard of professional services in the Victorian building industry. In doing so, it administers a registration system and monitors the conduct and ability of registered building practitioners.

C

Carport
a roofed, open or semi-enclosed structure for sheltering of motor vehicles, attached to, adjacent to, or near a house.
Certificate of Compliance
required for the design or part of the design of building work relating to a structural, sewerage, water or drainage matter, a mechanical matter, an electrical matter or relating to a fire safety matter.
Certificate of Consent
is a written approval from the Building Practitioners Board that enables you to obtain a building permit and carry out domestic building work as an owner-builder on your own land.
Certificate of Final Inspection
signifies the structure other than a dwelling has been inspected and passed according to the Building Regulations and is obtained once the final inspection has been inspected and passed.
Clear to the sky
means an unroofed area or an area roofed with a material that transmits at least 90% of light.
Commercial
is an office building used for professional or commercial purposes, excluding buildings of Class 6, 7, 8 or 9. ‘A building which is for storage, or display of goods or produce for sale by wholesale.’ (BCA Class 5 and 7b)
Compliance
the achievement of stated performance or perspective criteria in a regulation or other statutory requirement, usually signified by a compliance or approval certificate.
Contract
an agreement entered into between two or more parties which involves an exchange of specified goods and/or services of specified goods and/or services for specified financial reimbursement or other considerations.

D

Deck
a horizontal platform attached to, or forming part of, a building.
Demolition
the complete or partial dismantling and removal of a building or structure, by pre-planned and controlled methods or procedures, and normally carried out prior to redevelopment work.
Detached Dwelling
a building or use, where a group of people live as a single household or family.
Developer
an entrepreneurial organisation or individual who acquires land for subsequent subdivision and/or development, and sale on a unit basis.
Dispensation
ResCode or Report and Consent is required for works that involve a variation of the Building Regulations which require a special approval.
Domestic Dwelling
one or more buildings which in association constitute - A single dwelling, being - (i) a detached house; or (ii) one or more attached dwellings, each being a building, separated by a fire-resisting wall, including a row house, terrace house, town house or villa unit, which is not located above or below anohter dwellings or class of building other than a private garage. A non habitable building being a private garage, carport, shed or the like. (BCA Class 1m, 1a or 10a)
Draftsperson
designs and develops working drawings (plans).
Drawings
documents presenting information in pictorial form with or without text, including plans, sections, elevations, projections or perspectives of elements, and their location, interrelationships and sizes.
Dual Occupancy
the sharing of a single residential site by two independent households, sometimes housed in separate buildings.
Dwelling
a building or a part of a building intended for use as a residence by a single household.
Dwelling unit
is a self-contained suite of rooms, including cooking and bathing facilities and intended for long-term residential use.

E

Easement
an area of land, or part of an allotment, reserved by law for a specific purpose, such as access, drainage reticulation, or municipal services.
Elevation
a view of the façade of a building or an object and the drawn projection of the façade or object.
Engineer
They help protect the safety and health of people in buildings and public places, promote cost effective construction and resolve environmental and energy issues
Excavations
the removal of earth or rock to previously determined excavation lines and levels, to form a hole for the structural supports or floors of a building below ground, or a trench for services.
Extension
an addition to a building to enlarge its covered floor area.

F

Fence
a restricting structure placed on boundaries of an allotment or an enclosure of open areas to maintain privacy and/or security, or to define that boundary.
Final Inspection Certificate
signifies the structure other than a dwelling has been inspected and passed according to the Building Regulations and is obtained once the final inspection has been inspected and passed.
Five Star Energy Rating
all new houses in Victoria must include a greater range of energy efficiency and water saving features, improving occupant comfort and reducing the cost of energy bills.
Form 11
(Form 11 has changed to Certificate of Compliance)
is a certificate in engineer’s design relevant to the job address. This certificate ensures that the design work complies with Australian Standards and Building Regulations. A Form 11 accompanies the engineer’s drawings, computations and specifications.

G

Garage
an enclosed structure for the secure storage of motor vehicles. Domestic garages may be distinguished as ‘single garage’ for one vehicle, ‘double garage’ for two vehicles, and ‘triple garage’ for three vehicles.

H

Habitable room
a room in a house, flat, or other residential building designed and used for normal domestic activities. It includes bedroom, living room, lounge room, music room, television room, kitchen, dining room, sewing room, study, playroom, family room and sunroom.

I

Inspector
a person authorised to periodically inspect the contract works or a part of the works for compliance with legal or contractual requirements, especially to ensure that contract documents are being followed and that the workmanship and materials are as required by the contract.

M

Major domestic building contracts
required if you engage a building practitioner or tradesperson to carry out building work valued at over $5,000.
Mandatory Inspections
are prior to placing a footing; prior to pouring an in situ reinforced concrete member nominated by the relevant building surveyor; on completion of framework and final, upon completion of all building work.
Municipal Building Surveyor
issues building permits and has extensive additional functions related to community safety and the administration and enforcement of building legislation in their municipality.

O

Occupancy Permit
is attained for new dwellings once the final inspection has been approved and signifies that the building can be occupied.
Outbuilding
a building or use not intended for human habitation but forming an accessory to the principal use of associated buildings; including a carport, garage, machinery room, farm building, shed, greenhouse, public toilet or private swimming pool.
Overlooking
means a habitable room window or raised open space of a building on an allotment must not provide a direct line of sight into a habitable room window or on to a secluded private open space of an existing dwelling on an adjourning allotment.
Overshadowing
means a building must not reduce the sunlight to a recreational private open space of an existing dwelling on an adjourning allotment to the extent that less than the required minimum area of the recreational private open space has less than 5 hours of sunlight between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on 22 September.
Owner-builder
is a person who carries out domestic building work on his or her own land, who is not in the business of building.

P

Party Wall
the wall between two adjourning buildings or occupancies which provides common structural support and fire separation.
Pergola
an open-roofed framework over a path, terrace or patio, supported on posts or columns, and usually covered with plants trained over the members.
Private Building Surveyor
are independent professionals with the same power to issue building permits and occupancy permits as municipal building surveyors.
Private Open Space
means: (a) an unroofed area of land; or (b) a deck, terrace, patio, balcony, pergola, verandah, gazebo or swimming pool.
Property Information
provides information for permits issued in the last 10 years and details of any overlays (i.e. flood prone) on that property.
Protection of adjourning property
must be provided in respect of an adjourning property, before and during the carrying out of any building work, if required by the relevant building surveyor.
Public buildings
is an assembly building including a trade workshop, laboratory or the like in a primary or secondary school, but excluding any other parts of the building that are of another Class. (BCA Class 9b)

Q

Qualified person
a person accepted by the appropriate authority as qualified to design, construct (or install), or supervise the erection of, buildings or services; usually recognised by a certificate of registration.

R

Recreational private open space
means any part of private open space on an allotment which is at the side or rear of an existing dwelling on the allotment; within the front setback of an existing dwelling on the allotment and which is screened for at least 90% of its perimeter by a wall, fence or other barrier that is at least 1.5m high and that has no more than 25% of its area open; and which is primarily intended for outdoor recreation activities.
ResCode Dispensation
Report and Consent is required for works that involve a variation of the Building Regulations which require a special approval.
Retaining Walls
a wall built to hold back a mass of earth or other solid material behind it, and designed to resist lateral pressure and overturning forces from the retained material.

S

Safety barrier
refers to a fence, wall, gate or screen, and includes doors, gates, windows, locks, latches, hinges and self-closing devices attached to them.
Setback
from a boundary or building, means a horizontal distance from that boundary or building.
Site coverage
means that part of an allotment which is covered by buildings, expressed as a percentage of the area of the allotment.
Spa Pool
a water-resisting structure for use by a number of people that has a facility for heating the water within it and injection air bubbles or jets of turbulent water.
Street alignment
the horizontal shape of the boundary between the road reserve and the adjourning land.
Stormwater Information
a report indicating the location of the point of discharge from an allotment either within the allotment or at the allotment boundary must be obtained in relation to an application for a building permit for the carrying out of building work that includes a stormwater drainage system.
Strip footing
a footing or rectangular cross-section, poured in a continuous horizontal strip for placement under a length of wall.
Structural reinforcement
reinforcement, including reinforcing steel and prestressing tendons, provided for crack control or to resist forces caused by in-services loading and thermal and shrinkage movements.
Structure
a construction, not necessarily roofed, which performs a function or functions requiring rigidity; such as a bridge or a mast.
Subfloor
the horizontal surface on which the underlay or floor covering is to be laid.
Swimming Pool
an artificial basin for recreational or competitive swimming and other aquatic activities such as wading, paddling, and water sports.
Swimming Pool Fencing
a childproof enclosure for private outdoor swimming pools required by legislation.

V

Verandahs
an open or partly open portion of a house or building, or a roofed space attached to a building outside the principal rooms, and covered either by the main roof or a separate, lower roof.

W

Window
includes roof skylight, glass panel, glass brick, glass louvre, glazed sash, glazed door, translucent sheeting and any other building material which transmits natural light directly from outside a building into a room.