Reference Data · New South Wales
Central Coast DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
6 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Central Coast Development Control Plan 2022 — Chapter 2.1 Dwelling Houses, Secondary Dwellings and Ancillary Development. 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 6 that Central Coast 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.
Central Coast Council — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | To a local road on lots >300m2: average of the setbacks of the nearest 2 dwelling houses within 40m on the same primary road boundary (prevailing line); if 2 dwelling houses are not within 40m — 4.5m. Lots up to 300m2 on a local road — 3.0m. To a Classified Road — 7.5m. Garages/carports minimum 1m behind the front boundary setback. |
| Secondary street setback | 2 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | assessed on merit below 12.5 m frontage |
| Rear setback | 3 m | — |
| Site coverage | 60% ≤450 m² → 50% ≤900 m² → 40% ≤1500 m² → 30% | — |
| Private open space | 24 m² | — |
Source: Central Coast Development Control Plan 2022 — Chapter 2.1 Dwelling Houses, Secondary Dwellings and Ancillary Development. Clauses: 2.1.2.2 Site Coverage; 2.1.3.1 Setbacks – Residential Lots (Table 1); 2.1.4.3 Private Open Space Areas. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Central Coast’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 Central Coast controls?
- Site-coverage tiers are lot-area based and apply to residential dwelling houses (monotonically decreasing).
- Rear boundary setback (to a private allotment): single-storey wall may be 0.9m for a maximum width of 50% of the rear-boundary length; any part up to 4.5m high — 3m; any part greater than 4.5m high — 6m. To a parallel road or public reserve — 3.0m. rear_setback_m recorded as 3 (ground-storey / up-to-4.5m value).
- Side boundary setback for lots >12.5m wide at the building line: 0.9m for parts up to 4.5m high; above 4.5m — 0.9m plus one-quarter of the height above 4.5m. Lots up to 12.5m wide may build to 0 (zero) on one side only for a max length of 10m; lots less than 8m wide may build to 0 for the lesser of 20m or 50% of lot depth (side_merit_below_frontage_m = 12.5m threshold).
- Secondary boundary setback (corner lots) = 2m.
- Private open space is by lot WIDTH not area: 24m2 for lots >10m wide at building line, 16m2 for lots <10m wide; minimum dimension 3m. pos_min_sqm recorded as 24 (standard wider-lot case); the 16m2 reduction is width-based so pos_small_site (area-based) fields left null.
- No numeric landscaped-area or deep-soil requirement in Chapter 2.1 — deep soil is referenced only as a setback objective; landscaped fields left null.
- Floor Space Ratio is map-dependent (Central Coast LEP 2022 FSR Map, Clause 4.4) — not a fixed number in the DCP.
- A separate 'Setbacks – Large Lots' table (2.1.3.2) applies to lots zoned RU1/RU2/RU6/C2/C3/C4/R5 (10m front / 10m rear / 2.5m side / 5m secondary) — this is NOT the standard R2 low-density case and was excluded.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Central Coast 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 Central Coast Council before making decisions.
Central Coast planning controls — common questions
Do these Central Coast controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Central Coast’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 Central Coast controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Central Coast’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Central Coast 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 Central Coast Council publish for dwellings?
Central Coast Council publishes 6 dwelling controls in Central Coast Development Control Plan 2022 — Chapter 2.1 Dwelling Houses, Secondary Dwellings and Ancillary Development: front setback, secondary street setback, side setback, rear setback, site coverage, 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 Central Coast figures?
These values were extracted from Central Coast Development Control Plan 2022 — Chapter 2.1 Dwelling Houses, Secondary Dwellings and Ancillary Development 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 Central Coast?
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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