How long does construction take for a townhouse in Victoria?

ABS data for 2025-26 shows an average of 4.10 quarters, about 12.3 months, from commencement to completion for new Victorian townhouses. The 2023-24 average was 5.13 quarters, about 15.4 months. Averages cover all townhouse projects, so an individual build can be quicker or slower than these figures.

How long does a planning permit take in Victoria?

A council must decide within 60 statutory days, counted under regulation 32 of the Planning and Environment Regulations 2015. Notice must run at least 14 days, and referral authorities have 28 days. Time added by further information requests, objections or a VCAT review comes on top, and the council can say how it counts the days for a specific application.

Are townhouses slower to build than houses?

In Victoria in 2025-26, ABS averages were 4.10 quarters for townhouses and 2.49 quarters for houses, about 12.3 and 7.5 months. The ABS data does not say why the gap exists, so the comparison shows the difference rather than the reason.

How long until each townhouse has its own title?

The sources checked give no average for this step. The plan of subdivision is lodged through SPEAR, the state's online system, which links to current registration processing times. The surveyor handling the plan can say where an application stands and what is still outstanding, and registration time comes on top of the build and the council's own steps.

Does the builder have to give a completion date?

The Building and Plumbing Commission says a contract should include timeframes, including start dates, and procedures for delays and extra costs. Check how the contract describes the completion date, what counts as an allowable delay and how extra costs are handled before signing.

How long does it take to build a townhouse?

New townhouses completed in Victoria in 2025-26 took an average of 4.10 quarters, or about 12.3 months, from the start of construction to completion, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data released on 7 October 2026. A further 0.65 of a quarter, roughly 2 months, passed on average between building approval and the start of work. Planning, design and subdivision time sits on top of those figures.

ABS measures time in quarters, and months in this guide are quarters multiplied by three. Victorian townhouses averaged 4.10 quarters of construction in 2025-26, compared with 5.13 in 2023-24, the longest of any year in the series from 2015-16.

Checked October 2026. Rules, rates and prices change, so confirm anything that matters with the source linked below.

The stages and what the sources say

Stage	What the sources give
Feasibility, design and permit documents	No published average. It depends on the site and how quickly information is supplied
Planning permit (Victoria)	Council must decide within 60 statutory days; at least 14 days of notice before a decision; referral authorities have 28 days
Contract, Home Warranty, building permit	Builder pays the Home Warranty premium within 10 business days of signing or by the start of work, whichever is earlier
Building approval to start of work	ABS: 0.65 quarters (about 2 months) for Victorian townhouses in 2025-26
Construction	ABS: 4.10 quarters (about 12.3 months) in 2025-26
Final inspection	Building surveyor issues an occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection
Subdivision and titles	No averages published. SPEAR publishes current registration processing times

Browse new townhouses

See the townhouse developments selling now, with bedrooms, prices and completion dates, city by city.

Planning permit time

Planning Victoria says a council must decide within 60 statutory days, counted under regulation 32 of the Planning and Environment Regulations 2015, so elapsed calendar time can differ from 60 days. Notice to neighbours must run at least 14 days after the last notice is given, and referral authorities have 28 days to respond.

If a decision goes to VCAT, time stretches further. Applicants have 60 days to seek review after a refusal or unacceptable conditions, and can also apply once the council has not decided within 60 statutory days, while objectors have 28 days from a Notice of Decision. Under the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code, proposals that meet every standard are exempt from third-party appeal rights, which Planning Victoria describes as giving faster permits and greater certainty. Most permits expire two years from the date of issue, so check the expiry terms on the permit itself.

Construction time in Victoria

ABS defines townhouses as semi-detached, row or terrace houses attached to one or more dwellings, with their own private grounds and no separate dwelling above or below. Completion time is the period between commencement and completion. The ABS publishes the data each year with its June quarter release, and the 2025-26 figures came out on 7 October 2026.

Year	Victoria (quarters)	Victoria (about months)	Australia (quarters)
2015-16	3.39	10.2	3.03
2018-19	4.03	12.1	3.45
2021-22	3.99	12.0	3.69
2022-23	4.57	13.7	4.17
2023-24	5.13	15.4	4.30
2024-25	4.13	12.4	3.90
2025-26	4.10	12.3	3.74

For comparison, Victorian new houses averaged 2.49 quarters (about 7.5 months) in 2025-26, so townhouses took about 4.8 months longer (4.10 less 2.49 is 1.61 quarters). States differ too. In 2025-26 the ABS averages for townhouses were 3.45 quarters in New South Wales, 3.04 in Queensland, 4.40 in South Australia and 3.92 in Western Australia.

These are averages across all townhouses completed in the year, whatever the size of the project, so a three-townhouse build may run shorter or longer. ABS's 2019 article describing its method said it left out projects taking more than three years and townhouse groups of more than 25 dwellings.

Adding the stages up

For Victorian townhouses, the 2025-26 averages give 0.65 + 4.10 = 4.75 quarters from building approval to completion, which is 4.75 x 3 = 14.25 months, or about 14 months. On the 2023-24 averages it is 0.83 + 5.13 = 5.96 quarters, or 17.9 months. Neither figure includes the planning permit, design work or subdivision.

What can lengthen the timeline

Contract terms: the Building and Plumbing Commission says a contract should set out timeframes, including start dates, and how delays and extra costs are handled. Those clauses decide who bears a delay.
Approvals on the way: referral authority responses, requests for further information and any VCAT review sit outside the builder's control.
Final steps: the building surveyor's final inspection and any subdivision registration come after construction ends.

For the sequence of approvals, see how to subdivide and build townhouses. Longer builds carry more interest and holding costs, which townhouse development finance and construction loans explains, and what it costs to build lists the other charges.

Common questions

How long does construction take for a townhouse in Victoria?: ABS data for 2025-26 shows an average of 4.10 quarters, about 12.3 months, from commencement to completion for new Victorian townhouses. The 2023-24 average was 5.13 quarters, about 15.4 months. Averages cover all townhouse projects, so an individual build can be quicker or slower than these figures.
How long does a planning permit take in Victoria?: A council must decide within 60 statutory days, counted under regulation 32 of the Planning and Environment Regulations 2015. Notice must run at least 14 days, and referral authorities have 28 days. Time added by further information requests, objections or a VCAT review comes on top, and the council can say how it counts the days for a specific application.
Are townhouses slower to build than houses?: In Victoria in 2025-26, ABS averages were 4.10 quarters for townhouses and 2.49 quarters for houses, about 12.3 and 7.5 months. The ABS data does not say why the gap exists, so the comparison shows the difference rather than the reason.
How long until each townhouse has its own title?: The sources checked give no average for this step. The plan of subdivision is lodged through SPEAR, the state's online system, which links to current registration processing times. The surveyor handling the plan can say where an application stands and what is still outstanding, and registration time comes on top of the build and the council's own steps.
Does the builder have to give a completion date?: The Building and Plumbing Commission says a contract should include timeframes, including start dates, and procedures for delays and extra costs. Check how the contract describes the completion date, what counts as an allowable delay and how extra costs are handled before signing.

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Sources

This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Get advice that suits your situation before you buy.