What is ResCode?

ResCode is the common name for Victoria’s residential development standards. They set how a home and its outbuildings sit on a lot and what they do to the neighbours: setbacks, walls on boundaries, overshadowing, overlooking, site coverage and open space. The name covers two closely related sets of rules, one read for a planning permit and one for a building permit.

What do the standards cover?

how far a building sits from the street, usually tied to the houses beside it
side and rear setbacks, which grow as the wall gets taller
walls on a boundary, with limits on their height and length
overshadowing of a neighbour’s open space, and daylight to their windows
overlooking into a neighbour’s windows and yard
site coverage and how much of the lot stays permeable

The post on site coverage explains how the covered area is counted.

Who applies ResCode to my project?

It depends on the permit. Where the work needs a building permit and no planning permit, the registered building surveyor checks the siting rules in the state’s building regulations, which follow the same ideas. Where a planning permit is needed, the council assesses the home against the residential standards in the planning scheme, and a schedule to the zone can change some of the figures. The post on planning and building permits explains when each one applies.

How do ResCode setbacks apply to a shed or carport?

Most outbuildings meet these rules through the building permit. The surveyor reads the distance to each boundary, the height of the wall and its length along the boundary, and a small exempt shed still has to meet the siting limits of its own exemption. The post on building without a permit in Victoria covers what can be exempt.

What if my design misses a standard?

For a building permit, the council can agree to a variation through report and consent, weighing the effect on the neighbours before the surveyor issues the permit. The post on boundary relaxations covers that kind of request. For a planning permit, the planning version has an objective behind each standard, so the council can accept another design where it meets the objective.

Has ResCode changed?

Yes. In recent years the state has reworked the planning side so a single home that meets a set of fixed standards can take a faster path, with a similar code for townhouses. Many people and documents still say ResCode for all of it, so ask which set someone means.

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the council and building rules for your lot from its address, checks the design against them as you place it, lets you edit it as often as you like, and prints the site plan. Site plans and assessments in minutes. For a lot in Victoria it gives the distance from your structure to each boundary as you move it, with the overlays that can bring in a planning permit shown.

Search your address, see what the plan shows for a shed, carport or other outbuilding, or read what we hold for Ballarat. Victorian councils are listed by name, and site plans by council covers the rest of Australia.

Common questions

What is ResCode? It is the common name for Victoria’s residential development standards, which set how houses and their outbuildings sit on a lot and affect the neighbours. Planning permits for homes are read against the planning version, and the siting rules for building permits follow the same ideas.

What do the ResCode standards cover? They cover how a home sits on its lot and what it does to its neighbours, including street setbacks, side and rear setbacks, walls on a boundary, overshadowing, overlooking, site coverage and open space.

How do ResCode setbacks work? The side and rear setback grows as the wall gets taller, and walls on a boundary have their own limits on height and length. The street setback usually follows the neighbouring houses. The building surveyor checks these for a building permit, and the council can agree to a variation.