Granny Flat Checker — can a second dwelling be built on this Victorian address?
Enter a Victorian address for indicative parcel, overlay and geometry screening. The checker retains its original templates and setback assumptions. Confirm the current planning and building rules, the actual E2ES drawing and the property’s title, easements and access separately. A positive screen is a reason for further assessment, not permission to build.
The rule the checker applies
Amendment VC253, gazetted 14 December 2023, created the Small Second Dwelling provisions in the Victoria Planning Provisions. The test is conjunctive — every limb has to be satisfied for the planning-permit exemption to apply: the lot must sit in the General Residential, Neighbourhood Residential or Residential Growth Zone; it must be larger than 300 m²; the second dwelling must be 60 m² or less; there must be no more than one existing dwelling on the lot; and no overlay or restrictive covenant may be triggered. Fail any one limb and you are back in the permit system — which is a longer process, not a prohibition.
A building permit is always required, in every case, exemption or not. Setbacks come from the siting provisions of the Building Regulations 2018 — regulation 79 requires at least 1 metre from side and rear boundaries for walls up to 3.6 m in height — and are assessed against the actual lot rather than as a single flat number that applies everywhere.
The correction worth stating plainly: there is no 550–600 m² minimum lot size for a granny flat in Victoria. The only lot-size number in the scheme is 300 m², and below it a permit is required rather than the build being prohibited. The 550–600 m² figure — which we have published ourselves and which is repeated widely online — is a commercial filter for which blocks are worth buying for this strategy. Do not read it as the law.
Which overlays actually stop a build
A Heritage Overlay is the most common blocker in the inner and middle suburbs: it can require a permit for a new building in the rear yard and, on a contributory or significant property, the answer is frequently no. A Bushfire Management Overlay brings construction standards and defendable-space clearing that eat into the very part of the backyard you were going to build on. A Special Building Overlay or a Land Subject to Inundation Overlay raises floor levels and can rule out a slab-on-ground unit entirely. A Public Acquisition Overlay means part of the land is reserved for a public work. Vegetation Protection can prevent removing the one tree standing exactly where the unit fits. The checker reports which of these touch your parcel, and the rear-yard geometry it computes is what remains after setbacks and easement clearances.
Data sources and honest limits
Parcels, easements, planning overlays and address points come from Vicmap, the state's authoritative digital cadastre. Building footprints are read from Overture Maps first, falling back to the Vicmap building layer and then OpenStreetMap — no single source has complete coverage, and new estates and recent extensions are frequently missing from all three, which is why the tool lets you trace the house yourself when the outline it drew is wrong.
This is an indicative screen, not planning advice and not a feasibility report. It cannot see a restrictive covenant or a Section 173 agreement on the title, an unregistered easement, a sewer main whose real position differs from the mapped alignment, the bearing capacity of the ground, a tree protected under a local law, or what your relevant building surveyor will require on the day. A positive result means the block is worth investigating properly. It does not mean you can build.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build a granny flat on any Melbourne block?
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No, but the constraint is rarely lot size. Under the Small Second Dwelling provisions created by Amendment VC253 (gazetted 14 December 2023), a second dwelling of 60 m² or less is exempt from a planning permit where the lot is in the General, Neighbourhood or Residential Growth Zone, is larger than 300 m², carries no more than one existing dwelling, and is not caught by an overlay or a restrictive covenant. Heritage Overlays, Bushfire Management Overlays and some Design and Development Overlays reintroduce a permit requirement or block construction outright. The checker tests your specific address against the major overlays in seconds.
Is there a minimum lot size for a granny flat in Victoria?
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The only lot-size figure in the planning scheme is 300 m²: above it the Small Second Dwelling exemption can apply, below it a planning permit is required — required, not prohibited. The 550–600 m² "minimum" widely repeated online, including previously by PremiumRea, is a commercial rule of thumb about which blocks are worth buying for this strategy, not a legal requirement.
What size granny flat fits in my backyard?
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This checker retains its original 30 m² and 60 m² geometric templates. These are screening inputs, not the current E2ES product catalogue or rental forecasts. The current compact Fernwood drawing is 34.3 m². Recheck the actual current drawing, setbacks, easements and construction access for the property; a template fitting on the map is not approval.
How much does a granny flat cost to build in Melbourne?
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Current drawings, state prices including GST and specifications are published by E2ES, our sister company, at https://e2es.com.au/granny-flat-cost#state-prices. Older G30/G60 examples on PremiumRea are historical illustrations, not current quotes. Confirm the complete scope, approvals, site works, services and exclusions in a written quote for the actual property.
Do I need a planning permit for a granny flat in Victoria?
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Planning Victoria’s 15 October 2026 update states that the small second dwelling planning definition allows up to 80 m² under VC306. Planning permission still depends on the actual zone, lot, overlays and other controls. The government says corresponding Building Regulations 2018 and Minister’s Guideline 12 changes are proposed to follow; confirm the building permit pathway separately for the property.
Is the Granny Flat Checker free?
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Yes — free with no signup. It combines public Vicmap zoning, overlay and title data with PremiumRea's Small Second Dwelling rule engine. An account is only needed if you request a full due-diligence PDF report on a specific address, because the report is emailed to you. Architectural design, permits and construction quotation are paid services.
What can this checker not tell me?
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It cannot see a restrictive covenant or a Section 173 agreement on the title, an unregistered easement, a sewer main whose real position differs from the mapped alignment, the bearing capacity of the ground, a tree protected under a local law, or what your relevant building surveyor will require on the day. It is an indicative screen: a positive result means the block is worth investigating properly, not that you can build.