CDC for Restaurants & Cafes: Complying Development in Sydney

CDC stands for Complying Development Certificate. For a restaurant or cafe it means the fitout, and often the change of use to a food premises, is certified against a fixed set of criteria instead of going through a full development application. It is not a food licence: the food business notification and food safety requirements run separately, which is why we handle both together.

Our scope starts from $2,600 + GST where the premises qualifies, plus certifier fees and food notification fees. Where the premises does not qualify, we tell you at the eligibility check, before you commit to a design or a lease.

Where the premises and the proposed use satisfy every applicable criterion, yes - that is the design intent of the complying development pathway. Eligibility depends on the zone, the existing approved use, and whether the works and the use fall within the code. Tell us your opening date at the first call and we will give you a straight answer.

Notification of the business to council as a food business, and a premises that meets the food premises construction standards - cleanable surfaces, a dedicated hand- washing basin, adequate refrigeration, mechanical exhaust for cooking, a grease arrestor where required, and compliant waste storage. Most also need a certified food safety supervisor.

Footpath dining on public land needs a separate approval from council, generally an outdoor dining licence, and it is distinct from the fitout approval. Seating within your own tenancy is part of the fitout capacity. Raise it early because it affects your seat count and therefore your business case.

Cooking equipment generally requires mechanical exhaust designed to the applicable standard and discharged appropriately, and food premises with grease-bearing waste require a grease arrestor sized to the operation. Both are cheaper to design into the fitout than to add afterwards, and both are inspected.