Do I need council approval? NSW checker
Pick a project and enter a NSW address. We check the statewide exempt and complying development rules against the lot's zone, size and planning overlays. Free, no account.
The rules for each project
Rules current to the version in force from 23 October 2026: State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 and State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021. Plain-English summaries; the legislation is the authority. The address check uses the NSW zoning, cadastre, heritage, bush fire prone land, acid sulfate soils and flood planning maps we hold, which can lag the council's. It is a guide, not a planning certificate or legal advice. Based on content from the New South Wales Legislation website at 12 November 2026. For the latest information on New South Wales Government legislation please go to https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au. © State of New South Wales. Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Common questions
What is exempt development?
Minor building work that needs no planning or building approval in NSW, as long as it meets every standard set for it in the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 and the general requirements in clause 1.16. Miss one standard and it is no longer exempt.
What is a complying development certificate?
A combined planning and building approval for work that meets set standards, issued by the council or a private certifier, usually much faster than a development application. Some land, such as a lot with a heritage item, cannot use it.
Do the rules differ by council?
No. Exempt and complying development rules in NSW are statewide. What changes from lot to lot is the zone, the lot size and the planning overlays, such as heritage, bush fire prone land and acid sulfate soils, which decide which rules apply.
Does the checker cover Queensland or Victoria?
Not yet. Queensland sets accepted development council by council in each planning scheme, and Victoria in each planning scheme's exemptions, so those need a different check.
Can I rely on the answer?
It is a guide. It reads the lot's zone, size and the planning overlays we hold, but some things, such as draft heritage items, foreshore areas and flood control lots outside the LEP flood map, are not in our data. The council's section 10.7 planning certificate, the council or a certifier gives the answer you can rely on.