Reference Data · New South Wales
Ballina Shire DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
7 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Ballina Shire Development Control Plan 2012 — Chapter 4: Residential and Tourist Development, §3.1 Dwelling Houses and Dual Occupancies. As at 2026-08-29.
NSW has no statewide dwelling setback or site-coverage standard. The LEP sets zone, height and FSR; the numbers that shape a build sit in each council's DCP — here, the 7 that Ballina Shire publishes numerically. Anything its DCP assesses on merit rather than a fixed number is absent from this table: not a zero, and not a permission.
Ballina Shire — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | Per the Building Line Map. Where a site is not mapped, the front building line is the GREATER of 4.5m or the average of the setbacks of dwellings on immediately adjoining lots (§3.1.3.2 i–ii). Garages/carports must be setback a minimum of 5.5m from the front boundary (iii). |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Minimum boundary setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 20% ≤600 m² → 30% | — |
| Private open space | 24 m² | — |
Source: Ballina Shire Development Control Plan 2012 — Chapter 4: Residential and Tourist Development, §3.1 Dwelling Houses and Dual Occupancies. Clauses: 3.1.3.2 (Setbacks) i–viii; 3.1.3.3 (Landscaping and Open Space) i–ii; Table 4.2 Landscaping Controls. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Ballina Shire’s low-density residential zone. Do not apply these figures to a dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development — those are assessed under different standards, which Feasibly has not codified.
What qualifies these Ballina Shire controls?
- Controls apply to Zones R2 AND R3 under a single control set (Ch4 §3.1). R2 is the low-density case.
- Front setback is map-dependent (Building Line Map). The 4.5m recorded is the default MINIMUM that applies only where a site is not mapped, and is itself a 'greater of 4.5m or average of adjoining lots' prevailing-line rule (§3.1.3.2 i–ii).
- Garages/carports: minimum 5.5m front setback (§3.1.3.2 iii); on corner lots, garages/carports accessed from the secondary road also 5.5m (iv).
- Recorded side_setback_m and rear_setback_m of 0.9m are the ground-floor wall minimum (single-storey or ground floor of a two-storey dwelling, §3.1.3.2 v). Upper-storey walls more than 4.5m above ground must be setback 2.5m on western/southern elevations and 1.5m on northern/eastern elevations (orientation-dependent, §3.1.3.2 vi) — not captured in the numeric side field.
- ADDITIONAL rear requirement (§3.1.3.2 viii): dwellings must be setback a minimum of 4.0m from the rear boundary for at least 30% of the lot width (this 4.0m band may be shifted to a side boundary for better solar access). The recorded rear_setback_m=0.9 is the general wall minimum; the 4.0m applies to only 30% of lot width.
- secondary_street_setback_m=3.0 is the corner-lot dwelling setback to the secondary road boundary (§3.1.3.2 iv).
- No site coverage percentage is specified for dwelling houses in Ch4; only a landscaped-area minimum (Table 4.2).
- Landscaped tiers are monotonic increasing (20% <600m², 30% ≥600m²), consistent with expected pattern. Landscaped area defined as soft/pervious (grass, plants, trees; excludes buildings, structures, hard paved areas) but not explicitly termed 'deep soil'.
- Private open space: 24m² min contiguous, 4m min dimension, predominantly flat (max gradient 1:10); no small-site reduced minimum stated for dwelling houses.
- Version fetched: BSDCP 2012 Chapter 4 amendment dated 10/12/2025 (endorsed Nov 2025, effective 22 Dec 2025) — the current DCP chapter.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Ballina Shire DCP data?
These values were extracted from the source DCP and then independently checked against it — one of 29 of 93 councils on this site verified that way. This is a different and lower tier of confidence than our Victorian zone schedules, which are read and verified from the source planning scheme by a person. We do not present the two as equivalent.
A council's DCP can be amended at any time and this page reflects the document as at 2026-08-29. Where a control is absent above, the DCP either sets no number or assesses that parameter on merit.
This information is provided for research and preliminary screening only. It does not constitute professional planning, legal or architectural advice. Always verify with Ballina Shire before making decisions.
Ballina Shire planning controls — common questions
Do these Ballina Shire controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Ballina Shire’s dwelling-house controls. A dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development is assessed under different standards — Feasibly has not codified those, so do not apply the numbers above to one.
Which zone do these Ballina Shire controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Ballina Shire’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Ballina Shire LEP actually contains. This page presents the low-density residential case; some DCP sections also cover other residential zones, and the source above names the zones it applies to.
What planning controls does Ballina Shire publish for dwellings?
Ballina Shire publishes 7 dwelling controls in Ballina Shire Development Control Plan 2012 — Chapter 4: Residential and Tourist Development, §3.1 Dwelling Houses and Dual Occupancies: front setback, secondary street setback, side setback, minimum boundary setback, rear setback, landscaped area, private open space. Each value and its clause reference is listed on this page, as at 2026-08-29.
Does NSW have a statewide dwelling setback standard?
No. The Local Environmental Plan sets zone, building height and floor space ratio, but the numbers that shape a dwelling — setbacks, site coverage, landscaped area and private open space — sit in each council’s Development Control Plan. That is why these figures are published per council rather than per state.
How reliable are these Ballina Shire figures?
These values were extracted from Ballina Shire Development Control Plan 2012 — Chapter 4: Residential and Tourist Development, §3.1 Dwelling Houses and Dual Occupancies and then independently re-checked against it, one of 29 of 93 councils on this site verified that way. They remain screening grade: read the clause before relying on it.
Do these controls apply to every property in Ballina Shire?
No. These are the council-wide published figures for low-density residential — dwelling houses. The zone, any overlays and the consent triggers that actually apply depend on the individual parcel, and a control absent from this page means the DCP either sets no number or assesses that parameter on merit — not that the requirement is zero.
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