Heritage permit
A heritage permit is the state heritage authority approval (Heritage Victoria, NSW s.60) to work on a state-listed place, separate from the council planning permit.
Ask Chalkline about this →A heritage permit is the separate approval from the state heritage authority required to carry out works on a place on the state heritage register. It sits on top of, and is separate from, the council planning permit.
The key thing to get right is the difference between state and local listing:
- A locally significant place is managed through the council’s heritage overlay and the ordinary planning permit. No separate state permit is needed.
- A place on the state heritage register needs the state authority’s permit as well. In Victoria that is a Heritage Victoria permit under the Heritage Act 2017. In New South Wales it is an approval under section 60 of the Heritage Act 1977, granted by the Heritage Council (or an exemption for minor works).
Timelines run in months, not weeks, and the permit can carry conditions: archival photographic recording before works, an agreed conservation methodology, like-for-like materials, and supervision by a heritage practitioner. In NSW the integrated development provisions coordinate the s.60 approval with the development application so the two run together.
For a builder the practical point is to treat a state heritage permit as a long-lead item, not a formality. You cannot lawfully start works on a state-listed place without it, and the permit usually requires a conservation management plan or a heritage impact statement and a defined work methodology before it issues. Engage a heritage consultant early and build the permit timeline into the programme, because it is one of the items most likely to push a heritage job’s start date back.
Also known as: Heritage approval, state heritage permit.
Category: Heritage / Approvals.
Related
See also
References
- Heritage Act 2017 (Vic) (verified 2026-06-01)
- Heritage Act 1977 (NSW), s.60 (verified 2026-06-01)
Last updated: 2026-06-01. Verified: 2026-06-01. Quarterly review for currency.