The new Building Regulations 2018 were gazetted on 27 March 2018 and are due to come into effect on 2 June 2018. The regulations have been revised so that all regulation numbering has changed.

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has issued further information about the changes and online tools to help you navigate the changes:

• Building regulations overview here
• Summary of changes here
• Regulation number finder here

DELWP has identified ten key areas of regulatory change, and summarised those changes as follows:

1. New forms and further requirements to make sure that the permits, orders and notices include the information that is needed.

2. The Regulations have been modernised for the electronic use of documents for permits.

3. Updated requirements for the chief officer, RBSs and building practitioners in relation to documenting performance solutions.

4. New building permit reporting requirements commencing on 1 July 2019.

5. New obligations for the RBS to provide notice 30 days prior to a building permit lapsing to minimise lapsed permits.

6. Clear obligations on the RBS and the owner to inform the adjoining owner about protection work.

7. Introducing a new mandatory notification stage and inspections if the building work includes fire and smoke resistant building elements, which are lightweight construction in multi-storey residential buildings, and service penetrations in multi-storey residential and healthcare buildings. The Regulations also clarify the prescribed mandatory notification stages for demolition work or the construction of a pool.

8. The Regulations clarify the obligations of owners in relation to ESM maintenance, and encourage the uptake of maintenance schedules to simplify information for the owner. They also clarify the notification requirements in relation to pool barriers.

9. As-of-right construction of a Class 10a building with a floor area not exceeding 10m2 on undeveloped land.

10. Formalising the process for granting a determination to treat two or more allotments as a single allotment for the purpose of a building permit application.

Master Builders Victoria has notified Planning Minister Wynne about its concerns relating to the unnecessary changes to regulation numbers that are likely to impose burdens on the industry – for practitioners, trainers and other industry stakeholders. Master Builders has also expressed concerns about the new onerous mandatory inspection stage for fire and smoke resisting building elements. These concerns have not been addressed in these changes.

The new regulations can be found here.

Master Builders will provide further information and updates as they are released by DELWP and the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), but in the interim if you have any urgent queries, please contact VBA on 1300 815 127 or click here.

NOTE: The Victorian Building Authority has just posted an information sheet about mandatory inspection of certain fire and smoke resisting building elements here.