shopfitter.com.auNational Shopfitting Resource Cost Calculator
Guide · Shop Types

What your shop actually needs

Twelve common tenancy types, and the plumbing, ventilation, fire and registration requirements each one triggers. Start here before you brief a shopfitter.

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Café / coffee shop fit-out requirementsApproval likely

Café / coffee shop

Espresso bar, specialty coffee, small bakery-café

  • Commercial exhaust canopy + grease filter (AS 1668.2 ventilation)
  • Grease trap / trade waste consent
  • Two-compartment sink + separate hand basin
  • Food business registration with council/health
  • Non-slip floor, coving, washable surfaces (AS 4674)
  • Accessible entry + seating clearances
  • Outdoor dining permit if seating on footpath
  • Fire extinguisher + fire blanket (+ suppression if solid fuel)
Restaurant / takeaway fit-out requirementsApproval likely

Restaurant / takeaway

Dine-in, QSR, dark kitchen, food court tenancy

  • Type I or II canopy with fire suppression
  • Grease arrestor sized to fixture units
  • Grease-laden waste discharge consent
  • Liquor licence if serving or BYO
  • Cool room + separate raw/cooked zones
  • Mechanical ventilation and make-up air
  • Acoustic treatment for late trading
  • Grease trap and odour control conditions on approval
Retail apparel / fashion fit-out requirementsDepends on use

Retail apparel / fashion

Boutique, chain store, outlet

  • Shopfront and signage approval
  • Fitting rooms with privacy + mirrors
  • Accessible path and door clearances
  • Feature lighting and power distribution
  • Storage and stockroom egress
  • Security tagging / CCTV provisions
  • No food registration needed
Convenience / supermarket fit-out requirementsApproval likely

Convenience / supermarket

IGA-style, Asian grocery, service station store

  • Refrigeration and cool room plant
  • Food business registration
  • Floor loading for pallets and racking
  • Aisle widths and DDA compliance
  • Trolley bay and loading dock access
  • Waste and recycling storage
  • Signage approval for illuminated fascia
Hair / beauty salon fit-out requirementsDepends on use

Hair / beauty salon

Barber, hair, nails, brows, lashes

  • Basin plumbing + hot water capacity
  • Ventilation for chemical fumes (nail/acrylic)
  • Skin penetration registration if waxing/needling
  • Waste and hair trap to drain
  • Non-slip floors, washable finishes
  • Accessible entry; treatment room clearances
Medical / dental / allied health fit-out requirementsApproval likely

Medical / dental / allied health

GP clinic, dentist, physio, pharmacy

  • Hand basins in every treatment room
  • Sterilisation room with separate clean/dirty flow
  • Accessible WC and path of travel
  • X-ray shielding design if imaging
  • Schedule 8 drug safe for pharmacy
  • Ventilation and clinical waste contract
  • Change of use approval usually required
Gym / fitness studio fit-out requirementsDepends on use

Gym / fitness studio

24/7 gym, pilates, group fitness

  • Floor loading and impact slabs
  • Change rooms, showers and sanitary drainage
  • High-volume ventilation and cooling
  • Acoustic isolation from neighbours
  • Accessible amenities and egress widths
  • Shower/wet-area waterproofing compliance
Office / co-working fit-out requirementsDepends on use

Office / co-working

Suite fit-out, serviced office, studio

  • Egress, fire compartments and exit signage
  • HVAC zoning and fresh-air rates
  • Comms room and structured cabling
  • Accessible amenities within the floor
  • Acoustic separation between meeting rooms
  • Base-building landlord consent
Cross-cutting

Requirements that apply to every tenancy

01

Access (AS 1428.1)

Accessible entry, door clearances, path of travel and access to an accessible WC. Assessed at building approval — retrofitting later costs far more.

02

Fire & egress

Exit widths, exit signage, emergency lighting, extinguishers, fire doors and the fire safety schedule. Any change here needs approval.

03

Electrical & data

New circuits need a certificate of electrical compliance; data and comms for POS, CCTV and security should be designed with the joinery, not after.

04

Ventilation (AS 1668.2)

Make-up air, exhaust rates and odour control. Food and salon tenancies live or die by this — and neighbours complain fast.

05

Waterproofing & wet areas

AS 3740 for bathrooms, showers and any wet area. Failed waterproofing is the single most expensive handover defect.

06

Acoustics

Between tenancies and to residential neighbours. Late-trading food venues and gyms usually need an acoustic report as a condition of consent.

Not sure which approvals your shop type triggers?

The calculator gives you a cost range; the approvals guide tells you what paperwork sits behind it.

Approvals guideCost calculator