Licenses and Approvals You Need to Know Before House Raising

Apart from ensuring that you have chosen an experienced contractor who offers a professional service, you will also need to be aware of what government licences, approvals or permits are needed for carrying out the work. Usually, a reputable contractor will be able to tell you all this information anyway, but as the owner of the property it is a good idea to be armed with as much information as you can get. This way, you can be sure that you are prepared for whatever may arise in the process of having the work done. If you did have work done that required a planning application from the council in your area and you do not have one, you may find yourself in a sticky situation that could become quite costly.

Accepted Minor Building Work

Depending on whether you live in Brisbane, or the Gold or Sunshine Coasts there may be different council approvals and permits needed.

According to the Brisbane City Council website, where it cites the Brisbane City Plan 2014, the council does not need an ‘assessment against the planning scheme’ (i.e. a planning application) if the work is minor building work. This means that if you are raising a house to a height that does not exceed 9.5 metres, it is considered minor building work. However if the house raising is to be more than 9.5 metres, you will likely need to obtain a planning application before carrying out the work.

Additional licences or permissions that may be required by the Brisbane City Council are related to plumbing and crossing a footpath with a truck, which could to be needed for the process of raising a house. These will vary with the different types of properties and how the work is to be carried out, so you will need to talk to your Black & White Houseraising & Restumping contractor about this and follow up with your local council.

Licenses That Are Required

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission provides clear information on its website about what licences are required for house raising and restumping work. According to their information, (unless an exemption applies) if the work to be carried out has a value of $3,300, including the costs of materials, then a QBCC licence is required. However, there are some common exceptions, which include work that is carried out by the owner of the land, or work that is exempted from requiring a contractor licence (of which there is an extensive list, which can be accessed on the following page https://www.qbcc.qld.gov.au/restumping-house-raising).