Commercial kitchens are one of the most heavily regulated environments in Australia. Up to half of all fires in commercial buildings originate in kitchens, and non-compliance can void your fire insurance entirely. Beyond fire risk, an improperly ventilated kitchen creates health hazards for staff, attracts EPA complaints from neighbours, and can result in council shutting down your food business.
The regulatory landscape shifted in November 2024 when Standards Australia published a major revision to AS 1668.2 — the standard governing mechanical ventilation in buildings. If you're planning a new kitchen or upgrading an existing one, you're now working to updated requirements that most online guides haven't caught up with yet.
This guide walks through every standard, every regulator, and every compliance requirement that applies to commercial kitchen exhaust canopies in Victoria. If you need help with the council approval process itself, we've written a separate step-by-step council approval guide for Victoria that covers the practical paperwork.
Four key Australian Standards govern commercial kitchen ventilation design, installation, and ongoing maintenance. Here's what each one covers and why it matters.
This standard covers fire and smoke control in buildings, including the fire-rated construction requirements for kitchen exhaust ductwork. Your ductwork must meet specific fire resistance levels depending on whether it passes through fire compartments, and fire dampers may be required at penetration points.
For kitchen operators, the practical impact is that your exhaust system design needs sign-off from a building surveyor who confirms AS 1668.1 compliance before you can get occupancy.
This is the big one, and it changed significantly in late 2024. AS 1668.2 governs how mechanical ventilation systems — including commercial kitchen exhaust canopies — must be designed and perform. The 2024 revision replaced the 2012 edition and introduced several important changes:
The canopy threshold trigger remains: any cooking equipment exceeding 8 kW electrical or 29 MJ/h gas power input requires a mechanical exhaust canopy compliant with AS 1668.2.
For anyone designing a new kitchen or upgrading an existing system in 2026, your mechanical engineer or canopy supplier should be designing to the 2024 edition. Older designs referencing AS 1668.2:2012 may no longer satisfy a building surveyor's assessment.
This standard provides detailed guidance on designing and fitting out food premises to meet hygiene and safety requirements. It covers kitchen layouts, surfaces, equipment placement, and ventilation provisions in the context of food safety. While it's currently under revision, the 2004 edition remains the reference point for most council Environmental Health Officers when assessing kitchen fit-outs.
AS 1851 sets out the routine service requirements for fire protection systems, including commercial kitchen exhaust systems. The critical rule for kitchen operators: grease deposits must not exceed 2 mm thickness on any internal surface of the exhaust system. This is measured during routine inspections and directly affects your fire insurance validity.
| Standard | What it covers | Key requirement for kitchens |
|---|---|---|
| AS 1668.1:2015 | Fire and smoke control | Fire-rated ductwork and dampers |
| AS 1668.2:2024 | Mechanical ventilation | Exhaust rates, capture, make-up air, canopy design |
| AS 4674-2004 | Food premises design | Kitchen layout, surfaces, equipment placement |
| AS 1851-2012 | Fire protection maintenance | 2 mm grease thickness limit, inspection schedule |
The National Construction Code (NCC) is the overarching regulatory framework that references these Australian Standards. Two sections directly affect commercial kitchen canopies.
NCC Part F6 — Light and ventilation requires kitchen local exhaust ventilation for commercial cooking. This is where the NCC mandates that a mechanical exhaust system must be installed, and it points to AS 1668.2 for the detailed design requirements.
NCC Part J6 — Air-conditioning and ventilation energy efficiency requires variable speed fan control for exhaust systems exceeding 1,000 L/s airflow. In practical terms, this means most commercial kitchen exhaust systems need a VSD controller to comply with energy efficiency requirements — not just for energy savings, but because the NCC requires it.
Your building surveyor checks NCC compliance as part of the building permit and occupancy certification process. The NCC doesn't replace the Australian Standards — it references them and adds building-specific requirements on top.
Victoria has a layered regulatory system for commercial kitchens. Getting your canopy and ventilation right involves satisfying five separate bodies, each with different jurisdiction. Missing any one of them can stall your project or, worse, result in enforcement action after you've opened.
Every food business in Victoria must register with their local council under the Food Act 1984 before trading. Council classifies food businesses into Classes 1 through 4 based on risk level, which determines your inspection frequency and food safety requirements. Your council's Environmental Health Officer (EHO) will inspect your kitchen as part of registration, and they'll be looking at ventilation, surfaces, equipment layout, and food safety processes.
For mobile and temporary food businesses, registration is handled through the FoodTrader portal instead.
Your building surveyor (either council or private) oversees building permit compliance and issues the final occupancy certificate. They check that your exhaust system design meets NCC requirements, that ductwork is fire-rated per AS 1668.1, and that mechanical ventilation design aligns with AS 1668.2. You'll need to provide ventilation design documentation, including hood schedules, duct layouts, fan specifications, and make-up air calculations.
If your kitchen uses gas cooking equipment, the gas installation must comply with AS/NZS 5601.1:2022. Energy Safe Victoria oversees gas safety, and their requirements include quarter-turn isolation valves, compliant hose assemblies, and correct clearances. A licensed gasfitter must complete the work, and a compliance certificate is issued upon completion.
Gas installations in commercial kitchens are classified as either standard or complex depending on the equipment and configuration. Complex installations require additional engineering documentation.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, employers must provide a safe working environment. For commercial kitchens, this includes maintaining effective local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to control airborne contaminants, heat, and humidity. WorkSafe expects kitchen temperatures to remain within the 18–30°C range specified in AS 1668.2 for occupied spaces.
WorkSafe also requires documented preventative maintenance of LEV systems, including your exhaust canopy, ductwork, filters, and fans. If an inspector visits and finds a poorly maintained system contributing to unsafe conditions, the penalties can be significant.
EPA Victoria administers the General Environmental Duty, which requires businesses to minimise risks to human health and the environment. For commercial kitchen exhaust, this primarily means managing:
| Regulator | Jurisdiction | What they check |
|---|---|---|
| Local council | Food business registration | Food safety, kitchen layout, hygiene |
| Victorian Building Authority | Building permits and occupancy | NCC compliance, fire-rated systems |
| Energy Safe Victoria | Gas installations | AS/NZS 5601.1:2022 compliance |
| WorkSafe Victoria | Workplace safety | LEV maintenance, temperature, air quality |
| EPA Victoria | Environmental duty | Odour discharge, noise from fans |
Fire safety is where non-compliance carries the most serious consequences. A grease fire in an exhaust system can destroy a building, and if your maintenance records don't stack up, your insurer may refuse the claim entirely.
Under AS 1851, grease deposits on any internal surface of your exhaust system must not exceed 2 mm. This is tested during routine inspections by measuring grease build-up on canopy internals, filter housings, ductwork, and fan components. Exceeding this threshold means your system has failed inspection and needs immediate cleaning.
Your fire protection maintenance schedule should include:
Commercial kitchen fire suppression systems (wet chemical systems compliant with UL 300 or AS 3772) require regular professional servicing. These systems are your last line of defence in a duct fire, and they must be tested and certified on schedule.
Documented maintenance is not optional — it's what stands between you and a denied insurance claim. Insurers typically require before-and-after photographs, dated service reports, and evidence that cleaning was performed by qualified operators. If you can't produce these records after a fire event, your claim may be rejected.
Not every kitchen project needs a planning permit, but certain situations trigger one:
Check your property's overlays early in the project and speak with council before committing to a design. A planning permit can add weeks or months to your timeline.
Use this checklist to track your compliance across all five regulatory bodies. This covers new installations — if you're upgrading an existing system, some items may not apply.
At NXT GEN Canopies, we design and manufacture commercial exhaust canopies in Melbourne to AS 1668.2:2024. Every system we build comes with the documentation your building surveyor and council EHO need to sign off — hood schedules, fan specifications, airflow data, and compliance references.
We work with restaurants, cafés, schools and canteens, aged care facilities, food trucks, and commercial kitchens across Melbourne and Victoria.
Ready to get your kitchen compliant?
You need a mechanical exhaust canopy when your cooking equipment exceeds 8 kW electrical or 29 MJ/h gas power input. This threshold is set by AS 1668.2 and referenced in the NCC. Most commercial cooking setups — even a single commercial oven or fryer — exceed these thresholds.
The November 2024 revision introduced quantified performance requirements, a new treated kitchen exhaust compliance pathway, revised kitchen ventilation provisions, and the borrowed ventilation concept. These changes mean new installations should be designed to the 2024 edition rather than the superseded 2012 version.
AS 1851 requires that grease deposits never exceed 2 mm on internal exhaust system surfaces. In practice, most busy commercial kitchens need quarterly professional cleaning at minimum, with monthly filter inspections. High-volume operations like fish and chip shops or charcoal grills may need more frequent service.
Food trucks still need compliant ventilation and safe discharge. The canopy must be designed for the cooking equipment on board and meet AS 1668.2 requirements for capture and exhaust. Mobile food businesses register through FoodTrader Victoria rather than directly with a single council.
Yes. Insurers typically require documented evidence of regular maintenance compliant with AS 1851, including dated inspection reports with before-and-after photographs. If you cannot produce these records after a fire event, your claim may be denied. The 2 mm grease thickness rule is the most common standard insurers reference.
Your building surveyor checks NCC and AS 1668 compliance as part of the building permit. Your council EHO inspects for Food Act compliance. Energy Safe Victoria oversees gas installations, and WorkSafe Victoria may inspect workplace safety including ventilation effectiveness. All five bodies listed in this guide have jurisdiction over different aspects of your kitchen.
