Do You Need a Building Permit to Restump in Victoria?

In Victoria, house restumping almost always needs a building permit because it is building work that affects the structure. Simple like-for-like replacement of a few accessory-structure stumps can sometimes sit under exemptions, but a licensed building surveyor decides that, not a Google article. Easy Footings can supply and install engineer-certified RapidStump / StumpRite / SurePile systems once the permit path is clear.

When a Restumping Permit Is Typically Required

A building permit is typically required for dwelling restumping in Victoria. Confirm that with a registered building surveyor before anyone jacks the house. This is a practical overview, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for the surveyor’s decision on your site.

Restumping (also called reblocking) means replacing the stumps that carry the floor. On a house, that is structural work: the building is lifted, old supports come out, new ones go in, and the house is re-levelled onto them. In Victoria, work that affects the structure of a dwelling is treated as building work. That is why a house restumping permit in Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland or elsewhere in the state is the usual path, not an optional extra.

Treat a permit as the default when any of the following apply:

• House restumping — full or partial replacement of stumps under a Class 1 dwelling, including typical Melbourne weatherboards.
• Changing stump type — timber to steel, concrete to driven steel, or any change from the existing system. That is not a like-for-like swap of the same member.
• Re-levelling a dwelling — jacking and packing or replacing stumps so the floor comes back to level. The house moves; that is structural.
• Work that affects the structure — anything that temporarily or permanently changes how the building is supported, including restumping combined with bearer or joist repairs.

The same default applies to new dwelling stumps and to habitable buildings such as granny flats. For the wider permit and certification picture, see Victorian building footing regulations. Replacement stumps still have to suit the site classification under AS 2870.

Starting without a permit, when one is required, can mean a stop-work order, inspection problems, and difficulty selling or insuring the property later. Ask the surveyor first.

When a Permit Might Not Be Required

Some minor work can sit under building-permit exemptions. The usual conversation is about a minor Class 10 accessory structure — a small shed, a low deck, a carport or similar non-habitable building — and a simple like-for-like replacement of a few stumps of the same type, in the same positions, without changing the structure or re-levelling a dwelling.

That is as far as this article will go. We are not publishing a legal exemption list, dollar thresholds, height limits, or council-by-council rules. Those change, and they are applied to the facts of the site. A licensed building surveyor decides whether an exemption applies. The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) publishes practitioner and owner-builder information; it is not a substitute for the surveyor on your job.

Do not assume an exemption because:

• You are only replacing “a few” house stumps
• You are swapping timber for steel and calling it maintenance
• A neighbour restumped without paperwork (that does not make it lawful)
• The work is in a regional council area rather than Melbourne

If the structure is a house, treat a permit as required until a registered building surveyor says otherwise. For when owner-builder supply-only is reasonable on simple Class 10 jobs versus when restumping must be professional, see DIY vs professional footing installation in Victoria.

Who Issues the Permit — and What the VBA Does

In Victoria, a registered building surveyor issues the building permit. You can appoint:

• A municipal building surveyor through your local council, or
• A private registered building surveyor.

Either path is valid. The surveyor reviews the application, issues the permit, inspects the work (including, for restumping, typically a certificate of final inspection), and is the person who decides whether an exemption applies. We do not name councils or quote their fees here; those details belong on the council or surveyor’s own materials.

Searches for “VBA restumping” often mix up two offices. The Victorian Building Authority regulates building practitioners and the owner-builder process. It does not typically issue the building permit for a restump. If you are an owner-builder, your surveyor will tell you whether VBA owner-builder consent is also required. We do not restate cost or complexity thresholds because they change.

Easy Footings is the installer once the permit path is clear. We are not the building surveyor and we do not issue permits.

Documents Surveyors Typically Ask For

Exact paperwork depends on the site and the surveyor. At a high level, restumping applications commonly include:

• Soil report / site classification. A geotechnical report classifying the site under AS 2870 (A, S, M, H1, H2, E or P). If the property already has a current soil test, the engineer and surveyor may use it; if not, one is often required. Reactive clay across much of Melbourne’s west and north, and large parts of regional Victoria, is why this matters. See AS 2870 explained.
• Engineer drawings. A structural engineer specifies stump type, founding depth, spacing, connections and any bracing. Driven steel, adjustable steel and helical piles are alternative systems; they still need to be certified for the loads and the soil class.
• Existing conditions. An under-floor inspection, stump plan, photos, and notes on failed or settled stumps, clearance, and services. The surveyor and engineer need to know what is there now, not only what you intend to install.

Your surveyor may also want title information, a site plan, and the builder or installer details. Ask them for their list before you order steel. Confirm requirements with a registered building surveyor; this page is not that list.

Restumping Install Cost — Not Permit Fees

We do not publish building-permit application fees. Surveyor and engineer charges sit outside the install quote and vary by job. The figures below are supply-and-install restumping bands from our live Melbourne restumping cost guide, for Melbourne and regional Victoria in 2026:

Access, soil class, stump count and the system chosen (driven RapidStump, adjustable StumpRite, or helical SurePile) all move a quote inside that band. Product SKU prices on the product pages are components only, not an installed restump.

What Easy Footings Can Do

Easy Footings Pty Ltd (ABN 44 689 644 175) supplies and installs concrete-free steel footing systems from BMSA Footing Solutions across Melbourne and regional Victoria, once the permit path is clear:

• RapidStump — driven steel, concrete-free. Common for restumping and new stumps where compact equipment has to work under the house.
• StumpRite — adjustable galvanised steel stumps with screw height adjustment. The usual choice when future re-levelling on clay matters. See adjustable stumps in Victoria.
• SurePile — heavier helical screw piles for higher loads, more reactive clay and sloping sites.

We can supply only, or supply and install. We do not issue building permits. If you already have a surveyor and engineer drawings, we can quote the install to those drawings. Call 0419 994 555 or use the contact form.

Restumping Permit FAQs