• Section 149 Planning certificates confirm planning requirements and restrictions that apply to a parcel of land.

Complying development under the General Housing Code

The following types of development are complying development under the General Housing Code:

• New single and two storey dwelling houses (Clause 3.2)
• Alterations and additions to existing single storey or two storey dwelling houses (Clause 3.3)
• Second storey additions to an existing single storey house (Clause 3.3)
• Basements (Clause 3.4)
• Ancillary development including outbuildings (Clause 3.5)
• Detached studios (Clause 3.5)
• Building walls to boundaries (Clause 3.16)
• Swimming pools (Clause 3.34)
  

To determine if your development proposal is ‘complying development’ under the General Housing Code follow the 3 Step checklist.

Step 1 – Check that complying development under the General Housing Code can be carried out on your land

You must check the Codes SEPP Clauses including Clause 1.17A, 1.18, 1.19 and Part 3.

For example –

Your land must be:

• zoned Residential 2(a) or Residential 2(b) (Clause 1.18)
• at least 200m² in size (Clause 3.1)
• be a minimum width of 6 metres measured at the building line fronting a primary road (Clause 3.1)

Your land must not be:

• Land in the Woollahra LEP that contains a heritage item or a draft heritage item (Clause 1.17A)
• Land on the State Heritage Register or that is subject to an interim heritage order (Clause 1.17A)
• Land in the Woollahra LEP that is within a heritage conservation area or a draft heritage conservation area, unless the development is for the construction or alteration of a detached outbuilding or a swimming pool (Clause 1.19)
• Land reserved for a public purpose such as land in the Woollahra LEP zoned as 5. Arterial Road Reservation – Proposed Road Widening, 5. Local Road Reservation Proposed Road Widening, 6. Regional Open Space Reservation or 6. Local Open Space Reservation (Clause 1.19)
• Land identified in the Woollahra LEP Acid Sulfate Soils Map as being Class 1 or Class 2 (Clause 1.19)
• Land identified in the Woollahra LEP as being affected by a foreshore building line (Clause 1.19)

Step 2 – Go to the State Codes SEPP Part 3 General Housing Code for the rules

Is your proposal a development type covered by the Codes SEPP and does it meet all the complying development standards contained in Part 3 of the Code?

This Code includes complying development standards addressing matters such as site coverage (Clause 3.9), maximum height (Clause 3.13) and landscaping (Clause 3.24 & 3.25). 

If your house is affected by the 1 in 100 year flood level (a flood control lot), additional development standards also apply (Clause 3.36C).

The Code also contains standard conditions for complying development certificates such as notification to neighbours and hours of construction (Part 3 – Division 3).

Step 3 – Determine if your proposal is complying development under the General Housing Code

If your proposal meets all the requirements of the Codes SEPP it is complying development and you can lodge a Complying Development Application (PDF)

OR

If your proposal does not meet all the requirements of the Code it is NOT complying development under Part 3 of the Code. Your proposed development may be complying development under another part of the Codes SEPP. Alternatively you may consider amending your proposal so that it complies or lodging a development application.

In addition to the above information, the Department of Planning has prepared a dedicated Housing Code website, which provides a number of useful resources to understand how the Codes SEPP applies to your proposal.