Building order (Victoria)

A building order is a written legal directive a building surveyor issues under the Building Act 1993 (Vic) requiring an owner to fix, stop, or carry out building work. It is the enforcement step that follows a building notice, and ignoring one is an offence (verified 2026-05-25, Building Act 1993 (Vic) s 111).

The usual sequence: a relevant building surveyor (private or municipal) who suspects non-compliance first serves a building notice under s 106. The owner gets at least 30 days to make written representations. The surveyor must consider those representations before making a building order under s 111.

The main types:

Building order, general (s 111): orders remedial or compliance work after the notice period.
Building order to stop building work (s 112): can be made without first serving a building notice, for urgent situations.
Building order, minor works (s 113): where the ordered work is minor.
Emergency order: a separate, faster instrument that only a municipal building surveyor can issue. A private building surveyor cannot.

Non-compliance: failing to comply with a building order (or emergency order) is an offence under s 118, carrying up to 500 penalty units for an individual and 2500 for a body corporate (verified 2026-05-25, Building Act 1993 (Vic) s 118).

For a Victorian builder:

Never ignore a building notice. Respond in writing within the stated time, or an order is the likely next step.
If you receive a building order, you can appeal to the Building Appeals Board under s 142, generally within 30 days.
A s 112 stop-work order can land with no prior notice, so treat any surveyor correspondence as urgent.

Also known as: building order Vic, Building Act building order.

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