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 2026-08-05.
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. Below are the 7 controls Blue Mountains publishes numerically. Anything its DCP assesses on merit rather than a fixed number is simply absent from this table — it is not a zero, and it is 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.
Qualifications that change how these read
- 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.
How this was compiled, and how far to trust it
These values were extracted from the source DCP and then independently checked against it — one of 28 of 86 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 2026-08-05. 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.
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