Hornsby flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Hornsby
(Hornsby, NSW) - 8.47 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
8.47 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Hornsby's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Hornsby
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 4 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,000 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Hornsby at a glance
How Hornsby is zoned
Buying in Hornsby? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.
Across its 8.47 km², Hornsby is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 50% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 111 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 790 m² across 4,210 parcels.
Who lives in Hornsby
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Hornsby suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Socio-economic standing
ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.
Score 1068, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Hornsby's 22,462 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Hornsby - West, the wider ABS statistical area containing Hornsby. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Hornsby itself.
9,609 in 2001 to 10,830 in 2025, up 13%.
Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.
Hornsby data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Zoning | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
Check a specific Hornsby address
See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 79% of Hornsby. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held over parts of Hornsby. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Hornsby lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Hornsby planning - frequently asked
Is Hornsby flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Hornsby and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 10%). Published flood models are held over parts of Hornsby; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Hornsby bushfire-prone?
Around 50% of Hornsby is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hornsby average of 70%.
Is Hornsby under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 79% of Hornsby, and over about 98% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 3,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 55 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.
What is the zoning in Hornsby?
The dominant planning zone in Hornsby is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Hornsby have heritage-listed places?
Hornsby has 111 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Hornsby?
Across 4,210 surveyed parcels in Hornsby, the median lot size is about 790 m². There are also 105 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Hornsby have a train station?
Yes - Hornsby has 1 train station: Hornsby Station. It is also served by 238 bus stops.
What is the population of Hornsby?
At the 2021 Census Hornsby had 22,462 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Hornsby - West statistical area, which contains Hornsby, went from 9,609 people in 2001 to 10,830 in 2025, up 13%.
Is Hornsby an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Hornsby scores 1068 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Hornsby?
Median household income in Hornsby was $1,952 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,468 for the typical suburb in Hornsby. Median rent was $440 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,240 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waitara | 1.7 km | 0% | 0% |
| Asquith | 2.2 km | 0% | 52% |
| Westleigh | 2.4 km | 0% | 82% |
| Normanhurst | 2.9 km | 0% | 31% |
| Thornleigh | 3.0 km | 0% | 41% |
| North Wahroonga Ku-Ring-Gai |
3.3 km | 2% | 87% |
| Wahroonga Ku-Ring-Gai |
3.3 km | <1% | 30% |
| Mount Colah | 4.1 km | 0% | 86% |
| Warrawee Ku-Ring-Gai |
4.3 km | 3% | 2% |
| Dural | 4.5 km | 0% | 81% |