Starting a New Business

Food Premises

• All food businesses must comply with the Food Act 1984.
• A food business is any business involved in the sale, storage and preparation of food or beverages.
• Class 1, 2 and 3 food businesses must register with Council.
• Class 4 food businesses are required to submit a notification form to Council.
• Your food business registration is applicable from 1 October to 30 September, the following year.
• The registration of your premises will include an annual inspection to ensure compliance. It may also involve food sampling or investigation of complaints.

Fixed Food Premises

• Examples of fixed food premises include: café, restaurant, kiosk and warehouse.
• If you are planning on renovating an existing business or starting a new establishment you will need to follow the application process.
• Please refer to information below to assist with renovating or constructing a fixed food premises.

Guidelines-for-the-Design-and-Construction-of-Food-Premises(PDF, 382KB)

Supplement-1-Wash-Basin-Requirements(PDF, 580KB)

Home Food Businesses

• Home food business may include baking and food storage of items used for mobile food premises or market stalls.
• Home food businesses must comply with the requirements of the Food Act and Food Standards Code.
• Follow the application process to register your home food business.
• Please refer to information below to ensure your kitchen meets the requirements.

Home-based-food-busineses-A2584897.pdf(PDF, 436KB)

Planning application fact sheet: Running business from home(PDF, 461KB)

Temporary Food Premises & Mobile Vehicles

• All temporary food premises and mobile vehicles must be registered on Streatrader.
• Streatrader is the online system for businesses and community groups to register and notify their temporary and mobile food premises with their registering council. 
• A temporary food premises is a structure that is not permanently fixed to a site. For example: tent, stall, marquee or use of a kitchen not owned or leased by the food business.
• A mobile vehicles can include food vans, carts, caravans or trucks, coffee vans or trailers. 
• Once we receive your application on streatrader, an officer will be in contact with you to ensure the classification is correct and a fee will be generated based on the type of activity you will be doing.
• Mobile vehicles need to also follow our application process to ensure the vehicle complies with food standard codes.

Once you are registered with Council and Streatrader you need to lodge a ‘Statement of trade’ (SOT). This is letting Council know where and when you plan to sell food and/or drink. This is required under the Food Act 1984 (the Act) for operators who sell to the public from a temporary or mobile food premises. You must lodge a SOT at least 5 days prior to trading to have complied with your legal obligations under the Act. However, other laws may also apply to your trading. For example, you may need:

• permission from Council (Local Laws Department) to operate on council land, or if trading on a street, etc.
• permission from the land owner if you intend to operate on private land
• permission from the event organiser, if operating at events or markets
• other required licences – such as a liquor licence (if applicable).

Training & Record keeping

• Class 4: No records are required
• Class 3: Require minimum food safety records to be completed
• Class 1 & 2: Require Food Safety Program & Food Safety Supervisor(PDF, 367KB)
• Food Safety Template can be purchased from Council or downloaded from health.vic

Hair, Beauty and Skin Penetration Industries

• All hair, beauty and skin penetration businesses must comply with the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.
• Your Public Health and Wellbeing registration is applicable from 1 January to 31 December, even if you apply late in the year.
• The registration of your premises will include an annual inspection to ensure compliance. It may also include investigations into complaints of your procedures. 
• Activities that require registration include:

• Hairdressers, barbers and make up artists obtain ongoing or "once-off" registration. This means annual renewal of registration is not required unless activities change or the business has transferred.
• Follow the application process to register your health, beauty or skin penetration premises.
• Please refer to the information below to assist with renovating or establishing a new health premises.

Additional-Guidance-Notes-fit-out-of-personal-care-and-body-art-industry-premises(PDF, 262KB)

Planning application fact sheet: Running business from home(PDF, 461KB)

Prescribed Accommodation Premises

You need to register your business with Council and comply with the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, if it is a;

• motel or hotel
• residential accommodation
• hostel
• boarding or rooming house
• holiday camp
• student dormitory

and, where there are 4 or more fee paying occupants in the case of a rooming/boarding house and 6 or more in the other classes of accommodation. 

Your Public Health and Wellbeing registration is applicable from 1 January to 31 December, even if you apply late in the year.

If you are planning on renovating an existing premises or starting a new establishment you will need to follow the application process.

Rooming House

Rooming house proprietors require to provide a certain standard of health and living conditions to your tenants. These include:

• Continuous supple of hot and cold water to bathing, laundry and kitchen facilities.
• Drinking water must be fit for human consumption.
• Adequate sewerage system in place and is kept in good working order.
• Hard wired smoke alarms must be installed.
• Adequate rubbish collection containers that are cleaned and collected regularly.
• For every 10 people accommodated you must provide at least 1 toilet, 1 bath or shower and 1 wash basin.
• The minimum room size for one resident: 7.5 square metres, two residents: 12 square metres, for every additional resident: add 4 square metres.

Please note before Council can register a rooming house you will need to be licensed operator with Consumer Affairs.

Application Process 

Step 1: Applying for permits

Permits may be required from other authorities prior to applying for registration with the Public Health Unit.

They may include:

Step 2: The Assessment and Review of Plans

• After you have obtained relevant permits, the Public Health Unit will also require to review your plans of the proposed design and fit-out of your premises to ensure it complies with the minimum standards required under the relevant acts, regulations and guidelines.  This process helps to avoid costly changes to fixtures and fittings.  The application process requires the submission of clear and precise working drawings for the proposal.
• To facilitate the application process please ensure that the plans are drawn to scale of 1:100 and include the following:

1. A detailed floor plan showing the layout of your proposed premises, please ensure that you include the dimensions of both the space and all fixtures contained within.

2. A schedule of finishes – this is a written document that describes the finishes of all surfaces including the floor, ceiling, walls, benches, cabinetry etc.

• Please have these documents ready before completing the online form. 
• Please allow a minimum of 10 working days to process the application.

Step 3: Council Processing

• An officer will review and access your plans application.
• The officer may contact you for further clarification.
• You will be provided with a written document stating the outcome of the plans assessment.
• Upon satisfactory completion of the plans review process the public health unit will forward you an application for registration.

Step 4: Fees determined and invoice produced

• Registration fees will be prorated. Fees will be determined by classification and activities conducted.
• Once the application form is received an invoice will be generated and mailed out to you. 

Step 5: Inspection

• Once the registration fee is paid an officer will be in contact with you to arrange an appointment for inspection. Please allow a minimum of 10 working days for inspection to be arranged.
• An inspection report will be provided to you that may outline any compliance issues.
• The inspection will determine your commencement of trade.

Step 6: Registration

• Once your premises complies with the inspection it will be registered with Council.
• A registration certificate will be mailed out to you.
• One month after registration another inspection will be conducted. 

Contact details

Should you require any advise on starting a new business, please contact Council's Public Health Unit.