Isometric model of two Melbourne townhouses on one lot with a canopy tree in the front setback and a low front fence, on a warm-to-cool gradient background.

Victoria’s Townhouse and Low-Rise Code: the Clause 55 standards that decide pass or fail

In short

  • The Townhouse and Low-Rise Code is the deemed to comply version of Clause 55, which applies to two or more dwellings on a lot and residential buildings up to three storeys in Victoria’s residential zones.
  • If a design meets a Clause 55 standard, the matching objective is deemed to be met and the council does not weigh the decision guidelines for it.
  • Miss a standard and the application is not refused automatically. The council assesses that item against the decision guidelines instead.
  • Meet every neighbourhood character standard plus five listed daylight, overshadowing and overlooking standards and objectors lose their right to appeal to VCAT.
  • Amendment VC315 updated several standards on 24 September 2026. Applications lodged before that date stay under the old version, but new applications must meet the current clause, so check it before you rely on older notes.

Correct as at September 2026.

Victoria’s townhouse rules now reward precision. Hit the number and that part of your application is settled. Miss it by 200 mm and you are back in the world of discretion, objections and appeal rights.

Here are the standards that decide most jobs, as they read after Amendment VC315.

Where Clause 55 applies

Clause 55 applies to two or more dwellings on a lot and residential buildings of three storeys or less. It is used in the Residential Growth, General Residential, Neighbourhood Residential, Housing Choice and Transport, Mixed Use and Township Zones. A planning permit is always required for these developments in the residential zones. Four to six storeys moves to Clause 57.

The deemed to comply standards were approved on 6 March 2025 and commenced on 31 March 2025. Applications lodged before 6 March 2025 are assessed under Clause 55 as it stood before then. Amendment VC315 then updated the code on 24 September 2026, and the department says it will update the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code Guidelines shortly. In the meantime it points designers to its VC315 tree canopy webinar slides.

VC315 has its own transitional provision, set out in each residential zone. Clause 55 as it stood immediately before VC315 continues to apply to a permit application lodged before 24 September 2026, and to a section 72 amendment of a permit where the original application was lodged before that date. Anything lodged from 24 September 2026 is assessed under the new text.

How pass or fail actually works

Clause 55 is built from objectives, standards and decision guidelines. The rule is simple:

  • Meet a standard, and the corresponding objective is deemed to be met. The council does not need to consider the decision guidelines for it.
  • Miss a standard, and the council must consider the decision guidelines to decide whether the objective is met.

So “fail” means you lose certainty, not that you lose the permit. There is also a bigger prize. Where all the applicable standards in Clause 55.02 (neighbourhood character) are met, along with standards 55.04-1 to 55.04-4 and 55.05-2, there is no third party right of appeal.

Check the schedules first. A zone schedule or overlay schedule can modify a Clause 55 standard, and the modified standard is the one that applies. Pull the schedules before you set out a single wall.

The neighbourhood character standards

StandardDefault requirement (no schedule variation)
B2-1 Street setbackThe lesser of the abutting front wall setback or 6 m. With no building on either side (not a corner site), 4 m, or 6 m on a Transport Zone 2 street. Porches, pergolas and verandahs under 3.6 m high, and eaves, may encroach up to 2.5 m.
B2-2 Building height9 m, or 10 m where the natural ground slope across any cross section wider than 8 m is 2.5 degrees or more.
B2-3 Side and rear setbacksEither 1 m, plus 0.3 m per metre of height over 3.6 m up to 6.9 m, plus 1 m per metre over 6.9 m; or a flat setback of 3 m (6 m to a southern boundary) up to 11 m high.
B2-4 Walls on boundariesLength up to 10 m plus 25% of the remaining boundary, or the length of an abutting wall. Average height 3.2 m, no part over 3.6 m, unless abutting a higher wall.
B2-5 Site coverage60% (NRZ, Township), 65% (GRZ), 70% (RGZ, Mixed Use, Housing Choice and Transport).
B2-6 AccessAccessways and car spaces no wider than 33% of the frontage, or 40% where the frontage is under 20 m.
B2-7 Tree canopyCanopy cover of 10% of site area (1,000 m² or less), 15% (over 1,000 to 1,500 m²) or 20% (over 1,500 m²). At least one existing or new canopy tree in the front setback, unless one retained existing tree meets the whole canopy requirement. Each new canopy tree goes in deep soil or a compliant planter.
B2-8 Front fencesNew or extended fences within 3 m of a street: 1.5 m high, or 2 m on a Transport Zone 2 street.

Tree canopy deserves extra time. A new canopy tree must be expected to reach at least 6 m high and 4 m across at maturity. Deep soil scales with the tree: a 4 to 5 m canopy needs at least 12 m² of deep soil with a 2.5 m minimum dimension, or an 8 m³ planter at least 0.8 m deep. VC315 rewrote this standard. It added a 15% band for sites over 1,000 to 1,500 m² (previously 20% applied to every site over 1,000 m²), dropped the old requirement for a tree in the rear setback as well as the front, replaced the three tree types with a deep soil table in 1 m canopy steps, and cut the planter volume for the smallest tree from 12 m³ to 8 m³. That makes it the standard most likely to catch out a design drawn to older notes.

Liveability and amenity standards

The internal standards are just as binary. A few that regularly decide townhouse layouts:

  • Private open space (B3-5): 25 m² of secluded private open space with a 3 m minimum width, accessed from a living area, dining area or kitchen, unless a schedule says otherwise.
  • Bedrooms (B3-7): main bedroom at least 3 m by 3.4 m, other bedrooms 3 m by 3 m, plus 0.8 m² for a wardrobe. Living areas at least 3.6 m wide and 12 m² for two or more bedrooms.
  • Storage (B3-11): at least 6 m³ of externally accessible storage per townhouse.
  • Overlooking (B4-4): no direct views into a neighbour’s secluded open space or habitable room windows within 9 m, measured from 1.7 m above floor level, unless screened, offset or obscured as the standard allows.
  • Overshadowing (B4-3): more than 50% of the neighbour’s secluded open space, or 25 m² with a 3 m minimum dimension if less, must get at least five hours of sun between 9 am and 3 pm on 22 September.
  • Permeability (B5-1): at least 20% pervious surfaces, plus a stormwater system that meets the EPA best practice targets. Since VC315, a Blue Factor score of at least 100% (which replaces the STORM tool) or MUSIC modelling can be used to show this.

How to use the code on your next project

  1. Pull the zone and overlay schedules and note every modified standard.
  2. Run a standard by standard check at concept stage, not after the client has fallen in love with the massing.
  3. Where you choose to miss a standard, write the decision guideline response in your written statement. The department publishes a written statement checklist for this.
  4. Remember planning is not building. Meeting Clause 55 says nothing about NCC compliance, which in Victoria has been NCC 2025 since 1 May 2026.

CPD for Victorian designers

A course on passing Clause 55 first time is in development. These live courses sit alongside it:

See CPD in Victoria, the CPD requirements guide and the CPD deadlines calendar.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code?

It is the deemed to comply assessment pathway in Clause 55 of all Victorian planning schemes. It applies to two or more dwellings on a lot and residential buildings up to three storeys, and it commenced on 31 March 2025.

What happens if my design does not meet a Clause 55 standard?

The application is not automatically refused. The council must consider the decision guidelines for that standard to decide whether the objective is met. You lose the certainty of deemed compliance for that item.

When do objectors lose the right to appeal to VCAT?

There is no third party right of appeal where the application meets all the applicable neighbourhood character standards in Clause 55.02 and the standards in 55.04-1, 55.04-2, 55.04-3, 55.04-4 and 55.05-2.

What is the front setback under the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code?

By default, the lesser of the abutting front wall setback or 6 m. If there is no building on either abutting lot, it is 4 m, or 6 m on a Transport Zone 2 street. A zone schedule can specify a smaller distance.

What did Amendment VC315 change?

VC315 updated the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code on 24 September 2026 to improve clarity and consistency. The clauses it amended include street setback, building height, tree canopy, front fences, daylight to existing windows and permeability. The biggest changes are to tree canopy and stormwater. The setback, height, front fence and daylight changes make clear those standards apply to new buildings and new or extended fences. Applications lodged before 24 September 2026 are still assessed under the earlier version. Check the current Clause 55 text before relying on earlier guidance.

Sources