Guide to Victoria's planning system

A detailed guide designed for both infrequent and regular users of Victoria's planning system. Download the whole guide or browse through the individual chapters.

Find out about the planning system in Victoria

Find guidance for practitioners on applying and drafting planning provisions

More about the Practitioner's Guide to the Victorian Planning Schemes

The Minister for Planning has a range of powers and responsibilities including:

• approving planning controls
• issuing directions
• intervening on planning and heritage matters

More about the role of the Minister

Local councils make most of the planning decisions that affect their local government area based on what their local planning scheme allows.

More about the role of councils and how to get local planning information

A number of services are available to assist in obtaining planning information or making a permit application.

Explore the wide range of planning services offered by the department

Find links to other websites with planning or related information from Australia and around the world.

Browse the list of related websites