In short
Short answer: the Rural Activity Zone (RAZ) is a Victorian planning zone set out in clause 35.08 of the Victoria Planning Provisions and applied to land through each council's planning scheme. In the clause's own words, its first purpose is: “To provide for the use of land for agriculture”. (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026)
A zone sets the main purpose of the land and what can be built on it; every Victorian lot has one.
What it typically means for a buyer (Delora editorial, not legal advice): Farming alongside tourism and other rural activities.
Check whether the Rural Activity Zone applies to an address with Address Check. For a decision on a specific property, the official record is a Planning Property Report from VicPlan, and the council's schedule sets the local detail.
What the clause says
Clause 35.08 of the Victoria Planning Provisions (Rural Activity Zone) states its purposes as: to provide for the use of land for agriculture; to provide for other uses and development, in appropriate locations, which are compatible with agriculture and the environmental and landscape characteristics of the area; to ensure that use and development does not adversely affect surrounding land uses; to provide for the use and development of land for the specific purposes identified in a schedule to this zone; to protect and enhance natural resources and the biodiversity of the area; and to encourage use and development of land based on comprehensive and sustainable land management practices and infrastructure provision. (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026)
Ask your conveyancer: Which schedule applies to this land, and what does it require?
Shown on planning scheme maps as RAZ.
How much of Victoria this covers
From the 2899 sample suburbs Address Check's export has processed so far — a lower bound, not a statewide total, until the export runs statewide.
3,230 land parcels and 3,759 addresses in the sample so far.
Councils with the most coverage
- Towong (927 lots)
- Golden Plains (664 lots)
- Baw Baw (434 lots)
- South Gippsland (392 lots)
- Campaspe (281 lots)
- Moira (134 lots)
Suburbs with the highest share
- Wharparilla — 60% of addresses checked (148)
- Talgarno — 56% of addresses checked (94)