Can I contact council directly, or does my contractor have to?

Yes, generally — as the property owner, you can genuinely contact your council directly for general questions, though for formal permit applications, your building surveyor or contractor typically manages the process on your behalf.

For general queries about local requirements, contacting council yourself is entirely reasonable; for the formal, documented application process, coordinating through your contractor or surveyor is usually more efficient given their familiarity with the process.

There’s no genuine restriction on homeowner-council contact — it’s simply more practical for your contractor to manage formal applications, given their experience navigating the specific documentation requirements.

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