A certificate of compliance is a document issued by a responsible authority in accordance with Part 4A of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (PE Act). A certificate of compliance verifies that:
- an existing use or development complies with the requirements of the planning scheme, or
- a proposed use or development would comply with the requirements of the planning scheme.
In either case, the certificate states the facts at the date the certificate was issued.
Any application for a certificate of compliance to establish existing use rights must be accompanied with evidence to prove that the use has been carried out continuously for a period of 15 years and has not ceased for a period of two years during this time. This evidence may include copies of permits issued for the land, utility bills, rates notices, insurance records, photographs, historic records, and statutory declarations.
An application for a certificate of compliance can be lodged online via Greenlight by selecting 'Pre-application advice and general enquiry' and following the prompts.