You complete your state's approved owner-builder course, then apply to the state regulator with proof of ownership, your development approval, the course certificate and ID — for building work on your own land you intend to live in.
The general application recipe
Most states follow the same shape:
- Complete the approved owner-builder course (where required) and keep the certificate.
- Gather your documents — proof you own the land, your development approval (DA/CDC or equivalent), the course certificate, and identity documents.
- Lodge the application with the state regulator and pay the fee (often around $200).
- Receive the permit, tied to you and that specific project — you can’t transfer it, and a new project means a new permit.
The thresholds and names differ
- NSW — permit for work over $10,000; course required over $20,000.
- QLD — QBCC permit, low threshold, approved course.
- VIC — a certificate of consent from the Building and Plumbing Commission (which replaced the VBA in July 2025), not a “permit”.
- WA — Building Services Board approval, course + White Card.
- SA — no owner-builder permit or course at all (it’s an exemption from builder licensing); PlanSA approvals and building indemnity insurance rules apply instead.
- NT — no course, but you need an owner-builder certificate for work over $25,000 (Building Practitioners Board), plus a fidelity fund certificate.
Full detail per state: NSW · VIC · QLD · WA · SA · TAS · ACT · NT.
The step most people get wrong
They apply too early. The permit is one of the last pre-build steps — after finance and pricing — not the first. An early permit just starts clocks you didn’t need started.