Farm Dam Permit Victoria: Licences and Planning Checks

A dam marked on a property plan is not necessarily an approved dam. Nor does a neighbour’s unlicensed stock dam establish what you can build on your land. In Victoria, the intended water use, the relationship to a waterway and the proposed wall dimensions can lead to different approval requirements.

This guide reflects Victorian government guidance checked in October 2026. It explains the questions to resolve before excavation, rather than promising approval for a particular property. Start those checks while planning your farm dam construction, not after the contractor has arrived.

Farm dam permit Victoria: which approval do you need?

There is no single permission that answers every dam question. A take and use licence is an authorisation to take and use water under the applicable water licensing arrangements. A works licence is an authorisation for specified works associated with the dam. A planning permit is a permission required by the applicable planning scheme where no relevant exemption applies.

These permissions address different matters. Water availability is not the same as structural safety, and a licence to use water does not necessarily authorise a new wall. Equally, it would be wrong to tell every Victorian landowner that a separate council planning permit is always required.

Approval question	What to establish	Who to ask first
Taking and using water	Domestic and stock use, or irrigation and commercial use	Your rural water corporation
Constructing or changing the dam	Waterway location, wall height, capacity and proposed works	The dam licensing authority
Planning permission	Applicable scheme, licensed-dam exemption and remaining controls	Your local council
Other site constraints	Vegetation, heritage and any other approvals affecting the footprint	The responsible authority identified for that issue

Give each authority the same plan and description of the intended use. A response about an off-waterway household dam should not be treated as clearance for a larger irrigation storage in a different location. Keep the written response with the drawings it assessed.

Domestic and stock use is a defined category

Domestic and stock use is a defined category of water use, not a description of everything that happens on a farm. Victorian guidance distinguishes household and ordinary stock requirements from irrigation and commercial purposes. That distinction matters even where the property is small or the proposed dam looks modest.

The government’s private dam licensing guidance includes household purposes, pets, cattle or other stock and a kitchen garden within its domestic and stock definition. It excludes uses for dairies, piggeries, feedlots, poultry and other intensive or commercial purposes. Describe the actual proposed activity to the water corporation rather than choosing the label that sounds least regulated.

Victoria generally exempts domestic and stock dams from a take and use licence. That is not a blanket exemption from dam works licensing. An on-waterway location or a dam meeting the relevant size criteria can still require a works licence, even though its intended water use is domestic and stock.

Irrigation and commercial dams require water licensing consideration regardless of their size. If the property will change from grazing to irrigated cropping, or the dam will supply a commercial activity, explain that future use before relying on advice obtained for the current arrangement. A change of use can change the licensing question without any visible change to the wall.

Location and dimensions trigger works licensing

A waterway location is a separate trigger from dam size. Do not assume that a drainage depression is legally off-waterway just because it is dry during your inspection. Ask the licensing authority to confirm the classification of the proposed site before treating it as a catchment dam outside a waterway.

Victoria’s dam safety management guidance identifies on-waterway dams and the following size categories as requiring dam works licensing. The height and capacity conditions in each paired threshold must be read together.

A Victorian private dam that is 5 metres or higher and holds 50 megalitres or more falls within a stated works-licensing size category.

A Victorian private dam that is 10 metres or higher and holds 20 megalitres or more falls within another stated works-licensing size category.

A Victorian private dam that is 15 metres or higher requires works licensing under the stated height criterion regardless of storage capacity.

Wall height is not simply the depth of water visible in the basin. Supply surveyed dimensions and ask the authority to confirm the measurement basis applicable to your proposal. An estimate taken from the upstream water surface can misdescribe the structure and send the application down the wrong path.

Works licensing can concern construction, alteration, operation, removal or decommissioning. Ask which permissions apply to your particular activity and whether engineering design, certification or an operating licence is required. Being below a listed size threshold does not remove the separate waterway trigger or the owner’s responsibility for safety.

Council planning rules include an important exemption

It is too broad to say that a water licence and a council planning permit are always needed together. Clause 62.02-1 provides a buildings and works exemption for dam-associated works where a licence is required to construct the dam or to take and use water from it under the Water Act 1989.

The published Clause 62.02 planning provision also sets important limits. Its relevant general exemption does not override a requirement in the Public Conservation and Resource Zone. The buildings and works exemptions do not themselves exempt removing, destroying or lopping trees or removing vegetation. The linked provision is shown in the Knox scheme; ask council to confirm the applicable provisions for your own property.

That means two apparently similar dam projects can have different planning pathways. A dam requiring a Water Act licence may qualify for the relevant buildings and works exemption. An unlicensed dam cannot rely on that particular licensed-dam exemption merely because it is small. Council must assess whether the applicable scheme otherwise requires permission.

Request written confirmation of the exemption relied on, any remaining planning controls and whether vegetation removal needs separate assessment. Do not interpret a planning exemption as permission to clear the whole construction footprint. Likewise, planning advice alone does not settle water licensing, Aboriginal heritage or other statutory requirements that may affect the site.

Prepare the site information before applying

A useful initial enquiry describes the project clearly enough for the authority to identify the right pathway. Include the property details, proposed coordinates, intended water use, preliminary capacity, wall dimensions and the relationship to drainage lines. Distinguish existing structures from proposed works on the drawing.

1. Mark the proposed dam and access route on a property plan.
2. Describe current and proposed water uses accurately.
3. Ask the water corporation to confirm waterway classification and licensing requirements.
4. Ask council to identify planning requirements, exemptions and vegetation controls.
5. Confirm any other site approvals and required engineering information.
6. Obtain necessary permissions before committing to excavation.

A preliminary sketch is useful for a first conversation, but it is not a substitute for drawings or investigations required by the authority. Ask what detail is needed before paying for a complete application package. Where a location is unsuitable, finding that out early can prevent unnecessary design work.

For a proposed dam construction project around Melbourne, align the approvals enquiry with the site assessment. Soil suitability, practical access and the preferred footprint can affect the plan you submit. Avoid changing the approved location or design without first checking the consequences.

There is no reliable statewide shortcut for quoting your project’s approval cost or timing. Ask the relevant authority for current fees, information requirements and likely assessment steps. Before booking machines, contact Big Ditch about assessing the proposed dam site and explain which approvals you have already obtained.

Existing dams and interstate experience need care

An existing dam is not evidence that every proposed alteration is authorised. Raising the wall, increasing storage, changing water use or removing the structure may require a fresh licensing enquiry. Find the existing licence documents and conditions, then describe the exact change rather than requesting a general opinion about “maintenance”.

Big Ditch’s completion records for Lindsey Hughson’s 2019 Wynd dam project at Lorne, NSW, record 76.5 excavator hours and confirm completion of the works. That documented NSW project is not evidence of a Victorian permit exemption. Construction experience does not make one state’s approval rules transferable to another.

Keep the distinction clear when briefing a contractor: the practical work scope and the legal permission to carry it out are related but different. Supply the applicable approvals and conditions with the scope, retain the final records, and identify who will resolve any proposed change before it reaches the excavator operator.

Frequently asked questions

Can I build a small stock dam without a licence?

Possibly, but “small” and “stock” do not answer every question. Domestic and stock water use generally does not require a take and use licence, while an on-waterway site or specified dam dimensions can still trigger works licensing. Planning controls also need checking. Give the relevant authorities the location, dimensions and intended use before relying on an exemption or starting excavation.

Does a water licence mean council approval is unnecessary?

Not as a blanket rule. Clause 62.02-1 contains a licensed-dam buildings and works exemption, but its scope and exceptions matter. It does not automatically authorise vegetation removal, and the Public Conservation and Resource Zone limitation needs attention. Ask council to confirm how the provision applies to the property and whether any remaining planning permissions are needed for the proposed works.

Can I enlarge a dam while waiting for approval?

Do not begin works that require permission before obtaining it. An enlargement can change the licensed works, storage capacity, wall dimensions or water-use arrangement, so an existing approval may not cover the proposal. Ask the licensing authority and council what changes need assessment. Keep the construction booking conditional on receiving the required permissions and understanding their conditions, rather than assuming retrospective approval will follow.

Resolve your farm dam permit Victoria questions before committing to a wall location or construction booking. Book a site inspection with Big Ditch to assess the proposed site and define the work you need to discuss with the relevant authorities.