Reference Data · New South Wales
Byron Shire DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
7 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Byron Shire DCP 2014 — Chapter D1 Residential Accommodation in Urban, Village and Special Purpose Zones (adopted 27 Jan 2026, effective 23 Feb 2026). 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 Byron 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.
Byron Shire — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | Local roads: minimum 4.5 m from primary front boundary. Classified roads: 9 m (variation to 6.5 m for single-storey dwellings/elements). Garages and carports: 5.5 m from front boundary (except classified roads, where 9 m applies). Rear lane/unformed road: 3 m (4.5 m if it is the primary frontage). |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Minimum boundary setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 25% | deep-soil requirement applies |
| Private open space | 30 m² | — |
Source: Byron Shire DCP 2014 — Chapter D1 Residential Accommodation in Urban, Village and Special Purpose Zones (adopted 27 Jan 2026, effective 23 Feb 2026). Clauses: D1.2.2 Setbacks from Boundaries; D1.3.2 Landscaping; D1.3.3 Private open space. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Byron 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 Byron Shire controls?
- Chapter D1 covers residential accommodation in urban, village and special purpose zones (includes the low-density R2 case); dwelling-house-specific controls are in Section D1.3.
- Front setback of 4.5 m applies to local roads; the 9 m (or 6.5 m single-storey variation) figure is road-class dependent (classified roads only) — not the standard R2 local-street case.
- secondary_street_setback_m = 3 m records the corner-allotment reduction ('Corner allotments on local or secondary roads - setbacks may be reduced to 3m on one frontage'); it is a merit-based 'may be reduced to' allowance on the non-primary frontage, not a separately mandated secondary-street setback.
- Side and rear minimum is 900mm (0.9 m); min_boundary_setback_m records this. Council may consent to walls set back less than 900mm on merit where the wall has no openings and it improves siting/orientation/POS — a general merit provision, not tied to lot frontage width, so side_merit_below_frontage_m left null.
- POS: minimum 30 m² at ground level, not in the front setback, with minimum length and width each of 4 m, excluding vehicle circulation/parking. No small-site reduced minimum is stated.
- Deep soil: at least 25% of the site must be deep-soil area (excludes on-site effluent management areas); recorded as landscaped_flat_pct=25 with landscaped_deep_soil=true.
- No numeric site coverage / building footprint / FSR standard is stated for dwelling houses in this chapter — site_coverage fields left null.
- Dual occupancies and secondary dwellings have a 1.5 m single-storey side/rear setback (D1.2.2 item 3) — not the standard single-dwelling-house case.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Byron 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 Byron Shire before making decisions.
Byron Shire planning controls — common questions
Do these Byron Shire controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Byron 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 Byron Shire controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Byron Shire’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Byron 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 Byron Shire publish for dwellings?
Byron Shire publishes 7 dwelling controls in Byron Shire DCP 2014 — Chapter D1 Residential Accommodation in Urban, Village and Special Purpose Zones (adopted 27 Jan 2026, effective 23 Feb 2026): 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 Byron Shire figures?
These values were extracted from Byron Shire DCP 2014 — Chapter D1 Residential Accommodation in Urban, Village and Special Purpose Zones (adopted 27 Jan 2026, effective 23 Feb 2026) 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 Byron 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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