Termite Protection Requirements in Victoria
What Victoria’s Building Regulations, the National Construction Code and AS 3660.1 require for new buildings, alterations and extensions, updated for the changes that took effect on 1 May 2026.
Written for builders, developers and specifiers. It isn’t legal advice: your building surveyor makes the call on each project.
The short answer
- Councils designate termite risk areas under regulation 150 of the Building Regulations 2018.
- Until 1 May 2026, regulation 151 limited termite protection to buildings in those designated areas. The Building and Plumbing Amendment Regulations 2026 removed that limit.
- The National Construction Code’s termite provisions now set the requirement: Volume One clause B1D4(i) for Class 2 to 9 buildings, and Part 3.4 of the Housing Provisions for Class 1 and 10 buildings.
- Detached Class 10 buildings (sheds, detached garages and carports) are still exempt under regulation 151.
- Where termite management is required, it follows AS 3660.1, and a durable notice must be fixed on the building.
For pricing: in a designated area, always allow for termite management. Outside one, don’t assume it isn’t needed. Ask your building surveyor early.
How councils designate termite risk areas
Regulation 150 lets a council designate areas within its municipal district where buildings are likely to be attacked by termites. These are the “declared” or “designated” termite areas.
- Councils must prepare maps of their designated areas (regulation 148).
- When a council creates or changes an area, it must update its maps and notify the Building and Plumbing Commission within 7 days (regulation 149).
- Up-to-date maps must be available for inspection at the council’s offices free of charge (regulation 149).
- Anyone can ask the council whether a property is in a termite risk area through a property information request (regulation 51).
Some councils have designated their whole municipality, some only parts of it, and some none at all. Our declared termite area search shows the status for every Victorian council, with the source and the date we last checked it.
What changed on 1 May 2026
Two things changed in Victoria on 1 May 2026:
- Regulation 151 was replaced. The old version said a primary building element only had to be protected against termites if the building was in an area designated under regulation 150. The new version keeps only the exemption for detached Class 10 buildings.
- NCC 2025 took effect in Victoria. Its termite clauses carry over from NCC 2022 with the same numbering.
No official explanation of the regulation 151 change has been published yet. Our reading is that the National Construction Code’s own tests now apply in Victoria as they do elsewhere: termite management is needed where a primary building element is subject to attack by subterranean termites (Volume One), or where termites are known to present a potential risk (Housing Provisions). A council designation remains the clearest evidence of that risk.
Until guidance is published, confirm the requirement with your building surveyor on every Victorian project, including sites outside designated areas.
What the National Construction Code requires
Class 2 to 9 buildings: Volume One, B1D4(i)
- Where a primary building element is subject to attack by subterranean termites, AS 3660.1 applies.
- Elements made entirely of steel, aluminium or other metals, concrete, masonry, fibre-reinforced cement, naturally termite-resistant timber or preservative-treated timber are not considered subject to termite attack.
- A durable notice must be permanently fixed in a prominent place such as the meter box, stating the system used, the installation date, the chemical life expectancy (where relevant) and the recommended scope and frequency of future inspections.
Class 1 and 10 buildings: Housing Provisions, Part 3.4
- Part 3.4 applies where subterranean termites are known to present a potential risk and a primary building element is susceptible.
- The system is selected from Table 3.4.2 and must comply with AS 3660.1, or pass the tests in Section 5 of AS 3660.3.
- Chemicals must be on the pesticides register, and a durable notice is required.
Products with a current CodeMark certificate, such as JH Termite Barrier (CM20096), can also be used as evidence that a system meets the Code.
What your building surveyor will look for
The durable notice is the document the Code itself requires. In practice, building surveyors also ask the installer for:
- A certificate of installation naming the system, the areas protected and the installation dates
- Marked plans showing where each part of the system was installed
- Product documentation, such as the CodeMark certificate and technical data
Vale provides all of these at handover, so the termite section of your occupancy file is complete.
Alterations and extensions
The termite provisions apply to building work, not just new buildings, so alterations and extensions are included. Council guidance says the same. For example:
- Mornington Peninsula Shire has designated the whole shire and requires termite management for new houses, including extensions; detached Class 10 buildings are exempt.
- Maroondah City Council designated its whole municipality in 2005 and applies it to any building work except detached Class 10 buildings.
Where an extension connects to an existing slab, the new-to-existing junction and any cutouts for new services need protecting as well.
What are the termite protection requirements in Victoria?
Where termite management is required, it must follow AS 3660.1, with a durable notice fixed on the building. Councils designate termite risk areas under regulation 150 of the Building Regulations 2018, and since 1 May 2026 the regulations no longer limit the requirement to those areas, so your building surveyor decides what the National Construction Code requires for each site. Detached Class 10 buildings are exempt.
Do new houses need termite protection in Victoria?
In a designated termite risk area, yes. Outside one, it depends on the site: since 1 May 2026 the requirement is no longer limited to designated areas, so check with your building surveyor.
Are sheds and garages exempt?
Yes. Regulation 151 of the Building Regulations 2018 exempts detached Class 10 buildings, such as sheds, detached garages and carports.
How do I find out if my site is in a declared termite area?
Search the suburb in our declared termite area tool, check the council’s termite risk area map, or make a property information request to the council.
What is a durable notice?
A permanent notice fixed in a prominent place, such as the meter box, recording the termite management system used, when it was installed, the chemical life expectancy where relevant, and how often it should be inspected. The National Construction Code requires one wherever a termite management system is installed.
Sources
Official sources used for this guide. Rules change: confirm the current requirements with your building surveyor.
- Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), current version: regs 51 and 148–151
- Building and Plumbing Amendment Regulations 2026 (S.R. No. 38/2026)
- NCC 2025 Volume One, Part B1 (B1D4)
- ABCB Housing Provisions, Part 3.4 Termite risk management
- NCC 2025 state and territory adoption
- AS 3660.1-2014, Standards Australia
- Building and Plumbing Commission: termites
- Mornington Peninsula Shire: termite management
- Maroondah City Council: termite protection
Building in Victoria?
Send us your drawings and we’ll price the termite management system your surveyor will ask for.