Residential - approval guides
Every article we have published on council approval for residential projects. If your question is not answered here, ask us directly - the first consultation is free.
NSW Residential Planning FAQs - DAs, CDCs, BASIX and Heritage
Summary: most residential questions come back to the same handful of documents and thresholds - what a DA needs, when BASIX applies, and which projects can fast-track through a CDC instead. Here are straight answers to the thirteen questions we are asked most, each tagged with the actual legislation it comes from.
Do I need a DA for a shed?
Summary: usually not. Most standard backyard sheds fall under exempt development in NSW. But size, height and distance from the boundary change that quickly, and a shed that misses one criterion is not "nearly exempt" - it needs approval like anything else.
Not sure which approval you need?
Tell us the address and what you want to do. We'll help identify the appropriate planning pathway, whether it is exempt development, complying development or a full DA. Your first conversation is free.