Reference Data · New South Wales
Blue Mountains DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
7 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Blue Mountains DCP 2015 — Part B2 Building Envelope (B2.3 Setbacks & articulation; B2.4 Site Coverage and Pervious Area). 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 Blue Mountains 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.
Blue Mountains, City of — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 8 m | Prevailing line: front setback is to be within 20% of the average setback of buildings on immediately adjoining allotments in established areas; the 8m minimum from the primary road frontage applies ONLY where there are no buildings on the adjoining allotments. |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 1 m | — |
| Minimum boundary setback | 1 m | — |
| Rear setback | 1 m | — |
| Site coverage | 40% | — |
| Landscaped area | 40% | deep-soil requirement applies |
Source: Blue Mountains DCP 2015 — Part B2 Building Envelope (B2.3 Setbacks & articulation; B2.4 Site Coverage and Pervious Area). Clauses: B2.3.1 Setbacks — Control C3 (Zone R2 Low Density Residential); B2.4 Site Coverage and Pervious Area — Control C3 (Zone R2 Low Density Residential). Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Blue Mountains’ 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 Blue Mountains controls?
- Site cover control is '40% of the total allotment area OR 160m2, whichever is greater' — the 160m2 is a small-lot floor, not an alternative percentage. Recorded as flat 40%.
- Front setback is genuinely prevailing-line based (within 20% of the average setback of adjoining buildings). The 8m value recorded applies only to allotments with no buildings on immediately adjoining lots.
- landscaped_flat_pct (40%) is the DCP's 'minimum pervious area' = 40% of total allotment area (permeable / deep-soil equivalent — capable of stormwater absorption/infiltration, excludes hard areas except water tanks, spaced decking and swimming pools).
- R2 additional envelope rule: maximum building width with a street frontage is not to exceed 80% of the greatest width of the allotment.
- Hatchet-shaped lots only: setback from the rear boundary of the lot in front is a minimum of 9m (garages/carports permitted within this setback). General side and rear boundary minimum is 1m.
- No numeric private open space (POS) control for R2 dwelling houses in Part B2 (Building Envelope); POS is null.
- Note 4: where single dwellings/dual occupancies exceed max site cover or fall below min pervious area, additional stormwater quality measures are required (Part C6.1 Control 9).
- R2 controls in C3 are unconditional (no precinct split), but specific villages/precincts may carry additional building-envelope controls under Part G Locality Management identified on the LEP 2015 Built Character Map.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Blue Mountains 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 Blue Mountains, City of before making decisions.
Blue Mountains planning controls — common questions
Do these Blue Mountains controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Blue Mountains’ 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 Blue Mountains controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Blue Mountains’ low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Blue Mountains 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 Blue Mountains, City of publish for dwellings?
Blue Mountains, City of publishes 7 dwelling controls in Blue Mountains DCP 2015 — Part B2 Building Envelope (B2.3 Setbacks & articulation; B2.4 Site Coverage and Pervious Area): front setback, secondary street setback, side setback, minimum boundary setback, rear setback, site coverage, landscaped area. 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 Blue Mountains figures?
These values were extracted from Blue Mountains DCP 2015 — Part B2 Building Envelope (B2.3 Setbacks & articulation; B2.4 Site Coverage and Pervious Area) 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 Blue Mountains?
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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These are the council-wide numbers. Zone, overlays and the consent triggers that actually apply depend on the parcel.
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