Starting, expanding or buying a business

Spend time now preparing to get your application right. Providing the right information and using the professional assistance of a quality draftsperson or planning consultant (if required) can save time on the assessment and may get your business trading sooner.

What is your business idea? 

Start by writing down what you know about your business project. You will need to be able to describe the type of business you want to set up and how it will operate in some detail. 

Background research

These links below provide you with a range of advice and tools to assist your business preparation:

• Remplan - more information about HRCC's economy and demographics 
• Business Victoria - information on setting up a business
• VicPlan Property Zone & Overlay - create a free pdf planning property report to understand any overlays on the property
• Australian Taxation Office - record keeping for business
• Victorian Land Registry Services - find a copy of your title
• Liquor Licensing (VCGLR) – understand the processes for apply for or extending liquor licenses
• Small Business Mentoring Service - get advice and support

What permits do I need?

Complete the Business Permit Checklist below to help you understand the types of permits you may need for your business. It takes around three minutes.

At the end, you will receive a summary of the permits you will most likely need. You will also be able to request contact with a team member to discuss your next steps.

Permit support meeting

If you need multiple permits, the Economic Development Team can arrange a meeting with you and the relevant Council departments to get advice on what information you will need to include in your application. Simply complete the Business Permit Checklist (above) and we will contact you to arrange a meeting. These meetings are free.

You are ready to apply!

Once you have your business proposal, you know which permits you need to apply for and what information you need to provide, you are ready to apply. 

Once you have completed the Business Permit Checklist (see the Prepare section above) and spoken with our team to confirm what permit(s) apply to your business, you are ready to apply.

To find out more about:

• Planning permits
• Building permits
• Food business registration
• Health premises registration
• Accommodation premises registration
• Wastewater system permits
• Footpath trading permits
• Mobile Food & Beverage Trading Vehicle permits

Once your permit application form has been submitted, we will begin assessing your application.

Receiving the application

A team member from the Economic Development Team will be assigned to your application, and they will contact you to advise the expected timelines to assess your application. You are welcome to contact them to check on the status of your application.

Permit payments

There are standard fees that apply to all permit types. The details of your application will determine the exact fees and charges. A team member from the relevant department will contact you after you submit your application, to confirm the final fee and payment details. 

Requests for further information

You might receive a request for further information during the assessment phase. Please be prompt in responding to any requests as a slow response may delay a decision on your application.

Once we have finished our assessment, we will be in touch to confirm our decision.

If your application is approved, we will email you a copy of your permit or registration and, where appropriate, hard copies will also be mailed to you.

When you are ready to commence trading, our Economic Development team will assist you further and introduce you to other services that may help your business to grow and succeed.

Thank you for choosing Horsham as a place to start, purchase or grow your business.