Do you need a demolition permit?
For a house, almost certainly yes. Demolishing a building or incidental structure in WA requires a demolition permit — applied for on form BA5 and granted by the local government as permit authority under the Building Act 2011 (WA), with section 20 setting out when the permit authority must grant it. Work cannot lawfully start until the permit is issued. In the Peel region that means one of two permit authorities: the City of Mandurah for Mandurah, Halls Head, Falcon, Dawesville and the coastal suburbs, or the Shire of Murray for Pinjarra, Ravenswood and the river districts.
The main exception is small structures. The City of Mandurah's published guidance indicates sheds, patios and similar structures up to about 40 m² can generally be removed without a demolition permit — but exemptions are decided by the council against your property, not read off a website, so confirm your specific structure with the council's building services team before booking work.
The BA5 application, step by step
- Form. The state-wide application form is BA05 — Application for demolition permit, published on wa.gov.au. Either the owner or the demolition contractor can be the named applicant; in practice the contractor usually prepares the lodgement.
- Supporting material. Councils typically want a site plan showing what is being demolished and what is staying, evidence that service disconnections are arranged, and asbestos information — the Shire of Murray, for example, asks for a demolition permit declaration and an asbestos checklist with the application.
- Fees. The application fee is set by the Building Regulations 2012 and a Building Services Levy applies on top. Both amounts are indexed, and councils publish the current figures in their fee schedules — confirm the current fees with the council before lodging rather than relying on any website's number, including this one.
- Decision. The Building Act sets statutory timeframes for permit decisions; allow two to four weeks in your project plan and ask the council for its current turnaround when you lodge. Nothing on this page — and nothing any contractor says — is a guarantee that a permit will be granted or granted quickly.
City of Mandurah
The City handles demolition permits through its building services team, with lodgement details on its building applications and permits page. Two local wrinkles worth knowing: properties in older precincts may have heritage or planning considerations that need checking before a demolition permit is pursued, and the City expects service abolishment — power, gas, water, sewer — to be arranged before demolition begins. If your property is anywhere near the estuary, the foreshore or the canals, ask the City early whether any planning approval sits in front of the demolition permit.
Shire of Murray
For Pinjarra, Ravenswood and the wider Murray district, the Shire publishes its requirements on its demolition permit page. The Shire requires the demolition permit declaration and asbestos checklist noted above, and its permits — like demolition permits generally — are typically valid for two years from issue. Pinjarra's townsite includes some of the oldest building stock in the Peel region, so allow for the possibility of heritage checks on pre-war buildings before assuming demolition is straightforward.
WorkSafe WA: licences and the five-day notice
The council permit is only half the regulatory picture. Demolition work is also regulated by WorkSafe WA under WA's work health and safety laws:
- Licence classes. A WorkSafe WA demolition licence is required for the higher-risk classes of demolition work — broadly, Class 1 covers structures 10 metres or more in height and other high-risk demolition, and Class 2 covers structural demolition of multi-storey structures under 10 metres. Since WA's WHS regulations commenced in 2022, work in the old Class 3 (removing more than 200 m² of brittle or fragile roofing) may be carried out without a demolition licence, though every WHS duty still applies. A routine single-storey house demolition generally sits outside the licence classes — but where a licence class does apply, only a licensed demolisher can do the work.
- Notification. For Class 1 or Class 2 demolition work carried out in accordance with AS 2601, WorkSafe WA must be notified at least five working days before the work begins. Work not in accordance with AS 2601 needs WorkSafe approval sought at least ten working days ahead, and demolition using explosives fifteen. A copy of the notification stays on site while the work is done.
- Verify, don't assume. This site refers enquiries to independent contractors and does not verify anyone's licence — check a demolisher's licence status with WorkSafe WA yourself and ask for their insurance certificate of currency, as the disclaimer sets out.
Asbestos comes first
If the building went up before 1990, treat asbestos as present until sampling proves otherwise. Removal of more than 10 m² of bonded asbestos-containing material — or any friable material — is work for a WorkSafe WA licensed asbestos removalist, completed and cleared before demolition proceeds, and councils ask about it on the permit paperwork. This site connects enquiries with licensed third-party removalists through the asbestos removal page and never publishes handling or removal instructions. Leave suspect material undisturbed and get it tested.
Before the excavator arrives
Alongside the permit, the standard pre-demolition list in the Peel region is: abolishment (not just disconnection) of power with Western Power and gas with ATCO; capping of water and sewer with Water Corporation; pest treatment of the building where the council requires it; and protection of the verge, street trees and neighbouring fences. Your demolition contractor's quote should say who is arranging which item — that split is exactly the kind of thing worth having in writing, as the costs page explains.
Ready to move? Call (08) 9516 2266 and your enquiry goes to an independent local contractor who deals with these two councils week in, week out. For the wider process and timing, the questions page covers the sequence from first call to cleared block.