What is Exempt Development?
Many types of minor building projects don’t need approval from a Council or accredited certifier. This is called exempt development.
Exempt development is very low impact development that can be done for certain properties. Providing your building project meets specific development standards, approval from your Council is not needed!
What development standards do I have to meet for Farm Buildings?
There are a number standards that need to be complied with. Some examples of these requirements are:
- constructed or installed on rural land zoned RU1, RU2, RU3, RU4 or RU6
- no more than 7m above existing ground level
- be located at least 20m from the primary road frontage and at least 10m from other lot boundaries
- be located at least 50m from any natural waterbody or any dwellings on adjoining properties
For the full list of requirements, please visit the following link NSW Legislation website.
How can I find my property zoning?
Although most rural properties in NSW are eligible for exempt development, some land is specifically excluded from exempt development provisions.
Most properties can be checked using either the NSW interactive buildings website or the Electronic Housing Code website. If you council or property is not listed or it shows an exception you can check your property details using the NSW Planning Portal.