Garages always need a building permit
A garage is a building designed to house cars, with walls on all sides and usually a roller or panel door. In WA every garage needs a building permit, whether it is attached to the house or stands on its own. The permit checks the slab, the frame, the tie-downs and, if it is near a boundary or the house, fire separation.
Garage, carport or shed?
| Garage | Carport | Shed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enclosed | Yes, with a door | Open on at least two sides | Yes |
| Building permit | Always | Almost always | Over 10 m² or 2.4 m tall |
| Front setback | Usually set back further | Can be closer if open and narrow enough | Usually not allowed without approval |
A carport with a solid door added is treated as a garage, so it then has to meet the garage rules.
When a garage needs planning approval too
The R-Codes set standard rules for garages on house lots. A garage that meets them only needs a building permit. One that doesn't needs planning approval first. The common triggers are:
- Too close to the street. Garages usually have to be set back further from the street than carports.
- Too wide. Garage doors facing the street are limited to a share of the lot's frontage.
- Boundary walls. A garage wall built on the side boundary has limits on its height and length.
- Heritage areas and estates with their own design rules.
What we prepare
- A site plan showing the garage, setbacks and existing buildings
- Floor plan and elevations, from your builder's or supplier's drawings
- Engineering for the slab and frame (from your supplier or an engineer we arrange)
- The application forms and owner consent, then lodgement and follow-up