Building classes

Class 1

Domestic or residential buildings – single, standalone single houses and horizontally attached houses, such as terrace houses, row houses or townhouses. This class includes two sub-classifications:

• Class 1a – a single dwelling or one of a group of attached dwellings, e.g. a terrace house
• Class 1b – a boarding house, guest house or hostel with a floor area less than 300 m²

Class 2

Domestic apartment buildings – a building containing two or more sole-occupancy units where people live above, beside or below each other. This class may also include single-storey attached dwellings with a common space below, such as a carpark.

Class 3

Residential buildings other than a Class 1 or Class 2 building providing long-term or transient accommodation for a number of unrelated persons. For example:

• boarding house
• hotel, motel or guest house
• hostel or backpackers
• student accommodation or workers’ quarters
• residential care building.

Class 4

A single domestic dwelling within a building of non-residential nature (that is, a Class 5 to Class 9 building). For example, a caretaker’s residence within a hospital.

Class 5

Office buildings for professional and/or commercial purposes, such as offices for government agencies, accountants or lawyers.

Class 6

Buildings where retail goods are sold or services are supplied to the public, such as shops or restaurants. This class may include:

• hairdressing salon
• public laundry
• shopping centre
• funeral parlour
• showroom.

Class 7

Buildings including carparks, warehouses or storage buildings. This class includes two sub-classifications:

• Class 7a – carparks
• Class 7b – warehouses, storage buildings or buildings for the display of wholesale goods.

Class 8

Factories – buildings used for production, assembling, altering, packing, cleaning etc. of goods or produce. This class may also include:

• mechanic’s workshop
• abattoir
• laboratory.

Class 9

Public buildings – includes three sub-classifications:

• Class 9a – healthcare buildings such as hospitals and day surgery clinics
• Class 9b – buildings where people assemble for social, political, theatrical, religious or civic purposes, e.g. schools, universities, sports facilities, night clubs
• Class 9c – aged care facilities.

Class 10

Non-habitable structures – includes three sub-classifications:

• Class 10a – sheds, carports, private garages
• Class 10b – fences, masts, antennas, retaining walls, swimming pools
• Class 10c – private bushfire shelter.