Reference Data · New South Wales
Federation DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
5 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Corowa Development Control Plan 2013 — Ch 2.0 Residential Development (operated by Federation Council for the former Corowa Shire 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 5 that Federation 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.
Federation Council — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 10 m | Lower-density band = R2 Low Density Residential zone (the DCP's own mapping: "single detached dwellings within the Low Density Residential (R2) zone"). The 10m front setback (cl 2.5 item 11) is stated only "for areas with a minimum lot size for subdivision of 1ha". Single detached dwellings that comply with the SEPP (Exempt & Complying Codes) are exempt from the DCP; "average density" dwellings on conventional urban R1/RU5 lots defer to the SEPP General Housing Code (no DCP-native number). "Higher density" (multi-dwelling) front setback is 4.5m or the average of adjoining setbacks — not applied to R2. |
| Side setback | 5 m | — |
| Rear setback | 5 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 15% | deep-soil requirement applies |
| Private open space | 50 m² | — |
Source: Corowa Development Control Plan 2013 — Ch 2.0 Residential Development (operated by Federation Council for the former Corowa Shire area). Clauses: Ch 2 Residential Development — cl 2.3 Site requirements, cl 2.5 Building setbacks (items 4-6 higher-density, items 11-12 lower-density), cl 2.7 Landscaping item 1, cl 2.8 Private open space item 1. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Federation’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 Federation controls?
- Federation Council operates TWO legacy DCPs (it has not made a single consolidated DCP): the Corowa Shire DCP 2013 covering the former Corowa Shire (Corowa, Howlong, Mulwala) and the Urana Shire DCP covering the former Urana Shire. This record is extracted from the Corowa DCP, which is the one that explicitly codifies R2 Low Density Residential dwelling-house controls. The Urana Shire DCP (a small rural shire) was not used for this record.
- The R2 (Lower-density) setbacks 10m front / 5m side / 5m rear are stated only 'for areas with a minimum lot size for subdivision of 1ha' (cl 2.5 items 11-12) — i.e. tied to the LEP minimum-lot-size mapping, not a universal R2 figure.
- Site coverage is recorded null for R2: the 45% (single-storey/split-level) / 40% (two-storey) figures appear ONLY under the 'Higher density' heading (groups of 3+ dwellings in R1/RU5), so applying them to an R2 dwelling house would conflate bands.
- Landscaped/permeable area = 'minimum 15% of a lot area with a surface permeable to water' (General control cl 2.7 item 1) — treated as permeable/deep-soil (landscaped_deep_soil=true).
- Private open space: 30m² for a one-bedroom dwelling; 50m² per two-or-more-bedroom dwelling (cl 2.8 item 1). pos_min_sqm=50 reflects a standard 2+ bedroom dwelling; the 30m² reduction is by bedroom count, NOT by lot area, so the pos_small_site_* fields are left null.
- Secondary-street corner setback of 4m and the 4.5m front / 2m side&rear setbacks are 'Higher density' (multi-dwelling) controls only and are NOT applied to the R2 dwelling-house case.
- Because a compliant single detached dwelling is exempt from the DCP and 'average density' dwellings defer to the SEPP General Housing Code, the DCP provides few R2-specific numeric controls beyond the 1ha-lot lower-density setbacks and the General landscaping/POS rates.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Federation 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 Federation Council before making decisions.
Federation planning controls — common questions
Do these Federation controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Federation’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 Federation controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Federation’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Federation 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 Federation Council publish for dwellings?
Federation Council publishes 5 dwelling controls in Corowa Development Control Plan 2013 — Ch 2.0 Residential Development (operated by Federation Council for the former Corowa Shire area): front setback, side 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 Federation figures?
These values were extracted from Corowa Development Control Plan 2013 — Ch 2.0 Residential Development (operated by Federation Council for the former Corowa Shire 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 Federation?
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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