So, you’ve decided to build a tiny house — congratulations! But first there’s an important question to answer: will your tiny house be classed as a permanent dwelling? There is a common misconception in the tiny house world that a home on wheels can’t be a real, council-approved dwelling.
Our Casuarina 10×3 is a fully certified Class 1A tiny home designed, engineered, and built to meet the National Construction Code (NCC) as a permanent residence. While the home is transported to site using a detachable axle and drawbar system, it is installed on approved footings and permanently fixed in place to comply with Class 1A certification requirements.
At Aussie Tiny Houses, we’ve helped many Australians navigate this journey. Here’s everything you need to know about Class 1A approval: what it means, who’s involved, and how the process unfolds from start to finish.
What Makes a Tiny House on Wheels a Class 1A Dwelling?
Under the National Construction Code, a Class 1A building is a single dwelling intended for permanent residential occupation. While the Casuarina 10×3 is constructed on a trailer for transport efficiency and easier delivery, to obtain Class 1A approval, the home must be fixed to the land on approved footings, with the wheels removed after delivery. Our trailers are designed with detachable wheels and drawbars, allowing the home to be transported efficiently before being installed permanently on site in accordance with council and certification requirements.
Built on a 10m x 3m engineered steel trailer, the Casuarina 10×3 has been purpose-built to comply with NCC Volume Two as a Class 1A residence. It features a ground-level queen bedroom with full built-in robes, a large U-shaped kitchen with breakfast bar, a central bathroom with a 1200x900mm shower, and an open living area — all designed to meet the minimum standards for habitable space, ceiling height, natural light, ventilation, waterproofing, and energy efficiency that Class 1A certification demands.
This is a fundamentally different product to a caravan or a relocatable tiny house on wheels. The Casuarina 10×3 is a certified home and that distinction matters enormously when it comes to council approval and your ability to access grants like the First Homeowner Grant.
Step 1: Choose a Pre-Certified Design — The Hard Work is Done
The biggest advantage of choosing the Casuarina 10×3 is that Aussie Tiny Houses has already done the complex design and certification groundwork. The home has been engineered, drawn up by qualified building designers, and built to NCC Volume Two compliance — addressing all the tricky elements that trip up custom tiny house builds: structural integrity of the steel skid and frame, weatherproofing, minimum ceiling heights, natural light and cross-ventilation, energy efficiency, and accessible bathroom design.
This means when you engage council, you’re not presenting a speculative concept — you’re presenting a proven, certified design with documentation already in place. That significantly reduces the time, cost, and risk involved in the approval process compared to commissioning a custom design from scratch.
What Aussie Tiny Houses provides you with is a complete package: NCC-compliant drawings and engineering certification. All you need to do is to work with your building surveyor to apply those certified plans to your specific site.
That said, your site still introduces variables that need to be addressed: local planning requirements, soil conditions, energy ratings for your climate zone, and any overlays specific to your land. This is where a building surveyor can ensure the certified design translates smoothly to your specific block. Choosing a pre-certified model is the smartest way to reduce risk, cost, and delays at this critical first stage.
Step 2: Check Your Planning Scheme
This is often the most variable and nuanced part of the process, and it’s worth doing your homework early. Planning approval is separate from building approval and is governed by your local council’s planning scheme.
The key question: does your council permit a tiny house on wheels to be used as a permanent dwelling on your land?
The landscape is changing rapidly across Australia, with more councils recognising THOWs as viable housing — but there’s still significant variation. You’ll need to investigate:
- Zoning: Is the land zoned for residential use, or does it allow a secondary/additional dwelling?
- Minimum lot size: Some councils require a minimum block size before approving a dwelling.
- Overlays: Bushfire, flood, or environmental overlays may impose additional construction or siting requirements.
- Setbacks: How far from boundaries, fences, and existing structures must the home be placed?
- THOW-specific provisions: Some councils have developed specific pathways for certified tiny houses on wheels — it’s worth asking directly.
In rural and semi-rural areas especially, the planning pathway can be more flexible — and these are often exactly the kinds of blocks where tiny house living makes the most sense. A town planner familiar with your local council can be an invaluable ally here, helping you understand what’s possible before you commit to a site.
Step 3: Appoint a Building Surveyor
Once you’ve confirmed your planning pathway, it’s time to appoint a registered building surveyor — either a private certifier or a council-employed surveyor, depending on your state or territory. The building surveyor is the central regulatory figure in the approval process. They assess your plans for NCC compliance, issue your building permit, and ultimately sign off on the completed installation.
For a tiny house like the Casuarina 10×3, it’s especially important to appoint your surveyor early and brief them on the certified nature of the design. Some surveyors have more experience with tiny houses than others — choosing one who understands this space can make the process considerably smoother. They’ll review the Aussie Tiny Houses’ documentation, check site-specific compliance requirements, and confirm what additional reports or assessments are needed for your specific block.
Once satisfied, the surveyor issues a building permit — your official green light to proceed with delivery and installation.
Step 4: Engineering and Specialist Reports
Even with a pre-certified design like the Casuarina 10×3, your specific site will require some tailored technical documentation. The building and structure itself have already been engineered — but how it sits on your land needs to be assessed individually.
Depending on your site and location, you may need:
- A geotechnical (soil) report to determine ground conditions and specify the appropriate footings, piers, or anchoring system for your tiny house.
- A structural engineer’s report confirming how the steel base home connects to the site’s footing system.
- A bushfire attack level (BAL) assessment if your property is in a designated bushfire-prone area — this may influence cladding, window, and deck specifications.
- An energy efficiency assessment for your specific climate zone, confirming the home meets the required NatHERS star rating for your region.
- A stormwater and drainage plan showing how water from the roof and site will be managed.
- These reports are site-specific, not design-specific — which is why even a certified Class 1A tiny house requires them. Your building surveyor will advise which ones are mandatory for your application, and Aussie Tiny Houses can help connect you with the right specialists.
Step 5: Lodgement and Assessment
With your site reports, certified drawings, and supporting documentation assembled, your building permit application is lodged with the building surveyor. Because the Casuarina 10×3 already carries NCC compliance documentation from Aussie Tiny Houses, the assessment is largely focused on site-specific compliance rather than interrogating the design itself — which streamlines the process considerably.
The surveyor typically reviews straightforward Class 1 applications within 10 business days, though timelines vary by state and surveyor workload. If additional information is required, they’ll issue a Request for Information (RFI). Once everything checks out, your building permit is issued. Hold onto it — it must be displayed on site during construction and installation.
Step 6: Construction and Inspections
One of the most significant advantages of the Casuarina 10×3 is that it’s built entirely in Aussie Tiny Houses’ controlled factory environment — not on your site. This means the construction quality is consistent, weather-independent, and overseen by our team throughout. By the time your home is delivered, the walls are up, the kitchen is fitted, the bathroom is tiled, and the Colorbond roof is on.
A building surveyor is responsible for the approval and certification process; however they do not typically inspect the home during construction in our factory. The factory build is overseen by our licensed builder, who signs off on all required construction stages and documentation relating to the home itself.
Aussie Tiny Houses provides the necessary signed forms, certifications, engineering documentation, and compliance records associated with the build. Once the home is delivered and installed on its approved footings or piers, the building surveyor you appoint will carry out any site inspections required for the approval process, including verifying the installation and connections to services such as water, power, and sewerage.
The specific requirements and inspection stages may vary between states and local authorities, and your building surveyor will advise on the inspections required before final approval and occupancy certification can be issued.
Step 7: Site Installation
Once your Class 1A tiny house is delivered to site, a registered builder takes care of the installation — setting the home onto its engineered footings or piers, securing it in place, and connecting it to your site services. It’s a straightforward process, and far less disruptive than a traditional on-site build.
If you’re organising your own builder, Aussie Tiny Houses is happy to liaise directly with them to make sure the installation goes smoothly. For Queensland-based customers, we can also provide a builder introduction — connecting you with experienced local builders who are familiar with our homes and their installation process.
Step 8: Occupancy Certificate
The final milestone is the occupancy certificate — issued by your building surveyor once all inspections are passed and the home is confirmed safe and compliant for permanent occupation. In some states this is called a Certificate of Final Inspection or Certificate of Occupancy, but the meaning is the same: your Casuarina 10×3 is now legally recognised as a Class 1A dwelling.
This is the document that unlocks everything. You can connect to mains water, power, and sewerage. You can register the home on your title. And critically, it’s the certification that supports your eligibility for the First Homeowner Grant — available to eligible first home buyers across Australia who purchase or build a new home, including certified tiny houses.
Who’s Involved? A Quick Summary
Getting Class 1A council approval for a Casuarina 10×3 involves a team of professionals working together:
1. Aussie Tiny Houses — provides the certified design, engineering documentation, and factory build
2. Town planner — advises on planning scheme requirements and specific provisions for your council
3. Registered building surveyor — administers the approval process, issues the permit, and conducts inspections
4. Geotechnical engineer — provides a soil test to specify the appropriate site footings or anchoring system
5. Structural engineer — confirms site connection details between the certified skid and your footing design
6. Energy assessor — verifies NatHERS compliance for your specific climate zone
7. Local licensed trades — connect the home to site services (plumbing, electrical, drainage)
Is It Worth It?
Absolutely. The council approval process for a Class 1A dwelling is the same whether you’re building a conventional home or a certified tiny house on wheels. What the Casuarina 10×3 changes is how much of that process is already resolved before you start. The design is done. The NCC compliance is documented. The engineering is certified. Aussie Tiny Houses has already solved the hard problems so that your approval journey is focused on your site — not on proving your home is worthy of being called one.
Starting from $164,900 turnkey, the Casuarina 10×3 is one of the most accessible paths to a fully council-approved home in Australia. If you’re ready to explore whether it’s the right fit for your land, get in touch with the Aussie Tiny Houses team today — we’re here to guide you through every step of the journey.
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