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eventplanner.net.au

A guide published by Dotto

Event planner: the permits behind a public event

A public event is rarely one approval. The alcohol, the food stalls, the marquee, the closed street and the safety plan each answer to their own body, on their own timetable. This guide sets out those permits in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, published by Dotto from the official sources listed at the foot of each page.

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Photo by Foxy_ on Pixabay

General information, not legal or safety advice. Each guide names the state body or council that issues the permit.

Count back from the day

The quickest way to see an event’s permits is by how far ahead each one wants to hear about it. This run sheet is a selection, each line drawn from that state’s own page and true only for that state.

  1. 12 months

    Queensland, large-scale eventsThe state’s best practice guidelines suggest allowing at least 12 months for a large-scale event, and approaching the local council at least four months before any planned event.

  2. 6 months

    NSW, Class 1 special eventsTransport for NSW sets a minimum lead time of six months for an event with a major impact on the traffic and transport network.

  3. About 3 months

    Victoria, major event liquor licenceFor an event expecting 5,000 or more people, Liquor Control Victoria says to apply about three months before.

  4. 60 days

    Victoria, events on major roadsThe Department of Transport and Planning wants a complete permit application at least 60 days before the event, and Victoria Police wants two months’ notice for a highway events permit.

  5. 8 weeks

    Victoria, temporary limited liquor licenceApply at least eight weeks ahead; an application made less than three weeks out may not be processed in time.

  6. 30 business days

    Victoria, large marquees, stages and standsA complete occupancy permit application for a prescribed temporary structure goes to the Building and Plumbing Commission at least 30 business days before its first use.

  7. 28 days

    NSW, special event and pop-up liquor licencesLiquor & Gaming NSW wants these applications in at least 28 days before the event starts.

  8. 21 days

    Queensland, community liquor permitsThe application must be lodged at least 21 days before the event.

  9. 7 days

    NSW, closing a roadThe Roads Regulation 2018 requires seven days’ notice of the closure, by an advertisement in a local newspaper or on the roads authority’s website.

  10. 1 full day

    Victoria, food stallsA Statement of Trade for each event goes in at least one full day before trading starts, once the stall is already registered or notified.

Five guides, one for each permission

  1. Liquor at an event

    NSW’s limited and pop-up licences, Victoria’s temporary limited and major event licences, and Queensland’s community liquor permits.

  2. Food stalls at events

    Council notification in NSW, FoodTrader and Statements of Trade in Victoria, council permits in Queensland, and the national food safety rules every stall shares.

  3. Marquees, stages and seating

    NSW’s exempt temporary structures and its building code rules for entertainment venues, and Victoria’s occupancy permits.

  4. Road closures and street events

    The four NSW event classes, Victoria’s split between councils and the state, and Queensland’s police and road authority approvals.

  5. Event safety and crowds

    What SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria say an organiser must do about risks, crowds, contractors and emergencies.

Each permit covers its own piece

The sources are consistent on one point: a permit for one part of an event does not stand in for another.

  • Liquor Control Victoria says its major event licence “is not a permit to hold the event”, and that a permit from the local council may also be needed.
  • In Victoria, the statewide single registration scheme for food premises covers only the Food Act; a stall needs separate council approval to operate in a public place.
  • In Queensland, a council’s “wet area” approval for drinking in a public place does not rule out the need for a liquor licence.
  • In NSW, a pop-up liquor licence holder is reminded that the event must also meet the requirements of other legislation, for example the council’s.

Two of the sources begin with the site itself: Queensland’s guidelines say any event on national parks, reserves, private land or government land needs approval to be held there, and NSW’s Event Starter Guide says to seek the venue’s or landowner’s permission before building any structure.

About this guide

eventplanner.net.au is about the approvals behind a public event in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, the three states whose liquor, food, building, road and safety pages it mainly draws on. Where a rule belongs to one state, or to one council used as an example, the page says so.

Every page was written from the official sources listed in its footer and checked against them on 8 October 2026. Fees and lead times are given as those pages showed them on that date.