Home Office

A ‘Home Office’ is the most limited form of home-based work and involves office or administrative activities carried out entirely within a dwelling by a resident.

Home offices do not involve:

• clients or customers visiting the property,
• advertising signage, or
• any external changes to the appearance of the home.

Examples include a graphic designer working from a spare room, an accountant managing clients remotely or a consultant who works from home but meets clients elsewhere.

The home office use is interpreted as entailing office/administrative activities only. Any other use will be considered a home occupation, home business or cottage industry.

Approval required?

Development (planning) approval: A ‘home office’ is exempt from planning approval if it is to take place within an existing, approved residence. 
 

Building permit: May be required if you are making structural changes to a property.

Home Occupation

A ‘Home Office’ is the most limited form of home-based work and involves office or administrative activities carried out entirely within a dwelling by a resident.

Home offices do not involve:

• clients or customers visiting the property,
• advertising signage, or
• any external changes to the appearance of the home.

Examples include a graphic designer working from a spare room, an accountant managing clients remotely or a consultant who works from home but meets clients elsewhere.

The home office use is interpreted as entailing office/administrative activities only. Any other use will be considered a home occupation, home business or cottage industry.

Approval required?

Development (planning) approval: A ‘home office’ is exempt from planning approval if it is to take place within an existing, approved residence. 

Building permit: May be required if you are making structural changes to a property.

Home Business

A Home Business must:

• Employ no more than two people who are not members of the household.
• Not adversely affect the amenity of the neighbourhood through noise, traffic, parking demand, odours or other impacts.
• Occupy no more than 50m² of floor area.
• Not involve the retail sale, display or hire of goods from the property, except for online sales.
• Not create traffic or parking issues or significantly increase traffic volumes in the locality.
• Not involve vehicles exceeding 4.5 tonnes.
• Not require essential services of greater capacity than normally expected for a residential property.

Approval required?

Development (Planning) approval: Required for all ‘home business’ proposals.

Building permit: May be required if you are making structural changes to a property. 

Health approval: May be required, depending on the type of business proposed. For example, a business that involves beauty or skin penetration.

Application Requirements (Home Business Only)

If you are applying for a Home Business, you must provide:

• Completed and signed development application form
• Home business management plan including:
  • Nature of business
  • Operating hours
  • Number of staff
  • Expected visitors
• Site plan showing parking arrangements
• Floor plan showing the business area within the dwelling

Family Daycare

A Family Day Care is a childcare service provided from a residential home. It offers flexible, home-based education and care for children through a network of registered educators.

Key criteria

• Maximum of seven children aged from birth to 13 years, including the educator's own children.
• No more than four children below pre-primary school age.
• Approval and regulation of educators is managed by the Child Care Licensing and Standards Unit, Department of Communities

Approval required?

Yes. A Family Day Care requires Development (Planning) Approval from the Shire.

Note: If food is provided to children in a Family Day Care, a separate application to construct, alter or amend a food business is also required through the Shire’s Environmental Health team.