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Approvals guide

Do You Need Council Approval for a Shed in Tasmania?

A shed can need a planning permit, a building approval, both, or neither. Here is exactly when each applies, what the exemptions are, and how to check your address, updated July 2026.

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The short answer

Planning permit, building approval, both, or neither.

The short answer. In Tasmania a shed can need a planning permit, a building approval, both, or neither, and these are two separate systems run by two different authorities. Many small sheds need no permit at all, but that depends on size, your zone, where the shed sits on the block, and whether an overlay (bushfire, flood or heritage) applies to your address.

Information current as of July 2026, drawn from the Tasmanian Planning Scheme (State Planning Provisions) and CBOS building determinations. Rules are amended periodically and vary by address, so always confirm your specific property (see the disclaimer below).

When a shed needs no permit in Tasmania

There are two hurdles to clear: planning and building. A shed only needs "no approval at all" when it clears both.

No planning permit is needed when your outbuilding meets an exemption in the State Planning Provisions (SPP), clause 4.0. The two that matter most for sheds are:

  • Clause 4.3.7: small outbuildings, any zone. Exempt where the shed is not forward of the building line, and the roofed area is no more than 10 m² (where there is not more than one other outbuilding on the lot, the total roofed area of all outbuildings is 20 m² or less, no side is longer than 3.2 m, and building height is 2.4 m or less) or 18 m² (where there is no other outbuilding on the lot, roof span is 3 m or less, building height is 2.4 m or less, the shed is at least 0.9 m from an existing building, set back at least 0.9 m from any boundary, and cut or fill is 0.5 m or less).
  • Clause 4.3.8: Rural Living, Rural and Agriculture zones. A shed associated with an existing dwelling is exempt where the total floor area of all outbuildings on the lot is 108 m² or less, the setback meets the zone's Acceptable Solution (or is no closer to a boundary than an existing dwelling or outbuilding), and building height is 6 m or less with wall height 4 m or less.

Both exemptions fall away if the Local Historic Heritage Code applies to your land. Genuine farm buildings that are directly part of an agricultural use have a further exemption under clause 4.3.9.

No building permit is needed when your shed is Category 1 low-risk work:

  • A shed, garage or carport built on-site up to 18 m², or a prefabricated shed up to 36 m², is Category 1. No building permit and no building surveyor are required. The owner can erect it, but you must notify your council with a Form 80 (Notice of Low Risk Work) on completion, together with a site plan and the engineer's plans (or a photo). (If you meet planning conditions, check with your local council)
  • A prefabricated farm shed on a rural property under 200 m² can be put up without a building permit or building surveyor. (If you meet planning conditions, check with your local council)

So a detached 18 m² garden shed on a standard residential block, sited behind the building line and 0.9 m off the boundary, generally needs neither a planning permit nor a building permit, just a Form 80 to the council. Go bigger, closer, or into an overlay, and one or both permits come back into play. The categories and forms are covered step by step in our CBOS shed building cheat sheet.

Planning permit vs building permit: the two-system trap

This is the single idea that trips people up. Tasmania runs two independent approval systems:

  • Planning decides whether the site and zone can host the shed: setbacks, height, land use, amenity and overlays. Your council is the planning authority under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme (State Planning Provisions plus each council's Local Provisions Schedule).
  • Building decides whether the structure itself is sound and safe. This runs under the Building Act 2016 and CBOS determinations, with a council or a private building surveyor as the permit authority.

CBOS is explicit that there is no connection between the two. Needing a planning permit does not automatically make the building work higher-risk, and building work that needs a permit is not automatically caught by planning, and vice versa. In practice that means a shed can be exempt from a building permit yet still need a planning permit (for example, because it sits too close to a boundary or is in a bushfire or heritage overlay), or it can be low-risk to build but still need planning sign-off. You have to check both, separately.

All 29 Tasmanian councils are now on the single statewide Tasmanian Planning Scheme, which is why the substantive rules above are consistent statewide, but the zone your block sits in, the overlays over it, and local fees still vary council to council.

Step by step

The decision flow: a checklist you can follow.

Work through these in order.

  1. Find your council and zone. Enter your address on PlanBuild Tasmania and your council's planning page to confirm your zone and any overlays.
  2. Check the planning exemption. Is the shed within the SPP limits (clause 4.3.7 / 4.3.8) and clear of every overlay? If yes: no planning permit. If no: a planning permit is required (roughly 28 days if "Permitted", around 42 days if "Discretionary", for example where it relies on a reduced setback).
  3. Check the building category. On-site 18 m² or less, or prefab 36 m² or less: Category 1 low-risk, no building permit, lodge a Form 80 on completion. Over 36 m²: you must engage a licensed builder, a licensed designer and a building surveyor, who issues a Certificate of Likely Compliance. Prefab farm shed under 200 m²: no permit. 200 m² and over: a building surveyor is required.
  4. Confirm overlays and engineering. If the land is bushfire-prone, confirm the BAL; confirm the wind classification for structural certification (all of Tasmania is Wind Region A, but sites range from N1 up to N4 on exposed coastal and island blocks).
  5. Plumbing is separate. Any drainage or plumbing (a toilet or wet area) is its own plumbing approval.

Overlays that remove your exemption

Even a small shed loses its exemption if an overlay sits over the land. The common ones:

  • Bushfire (BAL). On the planning side, the Bushfire-Prone Areas Code mainly bites on habitable buildings, so a detached shed usually doesn't trigger it the way a house does, but the overlay can still strip a planning exemption, so it must be checked. On the building side, construction standards follow AS 3959 by Bushfire Attack Level (BAL-LOW, 12.5, 19, 29, 40; building in Flame Zone / BAL-FZ is not permitted in Tasmania). Key relief for sheds: a Class 10a non-habitable building separated from a habitable building by 6 m or more is exempt from the bushfire construction requirements, so a detached shed sited 6 m or more from the house usually needs no BAL-rated construction.
  • Flood / inundation. Flood-prone and coastal inundation overlays commonly remove the exemption and push the shed into a planning assessment, with siting and floor-level conditions.
  • Heritage. Where the Local Historic Heritage Code applies, both SPP shed exemptions are switched off and a planning permit is required regardless of size.
  • Others to watch: landslip, waterway and coastal protection, and scenic/landscape overlays can all trigger an assessment, and individual councils can add local conditions (colour and reflectance limits, watercourse buffers). This is exactly why per-address checking is real, not box-ticking.

Owner-builder basics

An owner-builder permit from CBOS lets you carry out building work on your own land that would otherwise need a licensed builder. The essentials:

  • Permit classes cover Class 1a (house or unit), Class 10 (non-habitable: sheds, pools, retaining walls) and Class 8 farm sheds.
  • Low-risk (Category 1) work does not need an owner-builder permit, so a shed, garage or carport up to 18 m² (or a prefab up to 36 m²) doesn't require one.
  • Farm sheds classified Class 7b do not need an owner-builder permit; a prefab farm shed under 200 m² can be erected without a builder or surveyor, while 200 m² and over needs a building surveyor and a Certificate of Likely Compliance.
  • As an owner-builder you take on the builder's legal responsibilities, and frequency and on-selling restrictions apply, so confirm current terms with CBOS before relying on this.
All 29 councils

Find your council.

All 29 Tasmanian councils, grouped by region, with their official planning pages. Councils with their own outbuilding or shed resource are noted; the rest defer to the statewide scheme, CBOS and PlanBuild, a gap this guide is built to fill.

Greater Hobart & South

South-East, Midlands & Central

North & Launceston

North-West, West & Islands

Before you build: confirm your specific address

This page is general information, not legal or planning advice. Thresholds, overlays and zones change and are specific to each property. Before you order or build, confirm your address on PlanBuild Tasmania and with your council using the links above. Tassie Sheds isn't a planning authority, but we build council-ready: engineered plans matched to your site's wind class and BAL, the documentation your building surveyor needs, and sizing that keeps you within (or knowingly over) the exemption thresholds. We advise everyone, including if you think you are exempt, to speak to their local council before they begin construction.

Good to know

Shed approval questions, answered.

Do I need council approval for a shed in Tasmania?

Not always. Small sheds within the SPP exemptions (generally 18 m² or less on a residential block, 108 m² total in rural zones) that are clear of overlays need no planning permit, and on-site sheds up to 18 m² or prefab sheds up to 36 m² are low-risk to build. Anything larger, closer to a boundary, or in an overlay needs a permit.

What size shed can I build without a permit in Tasmania?

On a standard residential block, up to 18 m² is usually planning-exempt (behind the building line, 0.9 m off boundaries, 2.4 m high or less). For building, up to 18 m² built on-site or 36 m² prefabricated is Category 1 low-risk, so no building permit, just a Form 80. In rural zones the combined outbuilding cap is 108 m². (Always check with your local council to confirm if you are exempt)

What is a Form 80?

A Notice of Low Risk Work. For a Category 1 shed you don't need a building permit, but you must notify your council on completion with a Form 80, a site plan and the engineer's plans. It's a notification, not an application.

Do I need a building permit and a planning permit, or just one?

They're separate. You might need one, both or neither. A shed can be exempt from a building permit but still need a planning permit (for setbacks or an overlay), or need a building permit but be planning-exempt. Check each independently.

How long does a shed planning permit take?

About 28 days for a "Permitted" application that meets every standard, and roughly 42 days for a "Discretionary" one that relies on a performance criterion (for example, a reduced setback) and has to be advertised.

Does a shed need bushfire (BAL) construction in Tasmania?

Often not. A detached, non-habitable shed 6 m or more from a habitable building is exempt from the bushfire construction requirements. A shed attached to or close to the house, or on a high-BAL block, may need AS 3959-compliant materials.

Can I build the shed myself as an owner-builder?

Yes, and for Category 1 low-risk sheds (18 m² or less on-site, or 36 m² or less prefab) you don't even need an owner-builder permit. For larger sheds you'll need an owner-builder permit (or a licensed builder) plus a building surveyor.

Are farm sheds treated differently?

Yes. In rural zones the outbuilding exemption cap is 108 m², and a prefab farm shed under 200 m² can go up with no building permit or surveyor. At 200 m² and over, a building surveyor must be engaged and issue a Certificate of Likely Compliance.

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