Reference Data · New South Wales
Ku-ring-gai DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
6 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Section A, Part 4 – Dwelling Houses (consolidation adopted 19 March 2024). 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 Ku-ring-gai 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.
Ku-ring-gai Council — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 9 m | Ku-ring-gai term is "built-upon area"; front setbacks are large. Per Clause 4A.2 Control 3, the minimum front setback varies by street position and storeys: single storey — low side 9m min, high side 12m min; two storey — low side 9m min / 11m average, high side 12m min / 14m average. At least 75% of the front elevation must meet the average; up to 25% may sit at the minimum. front_setback_m=9 is the base minimum (single storey, low side). |
| Secondary street setback | 3.8 m | — |
| Side setback | 1.5 m | — |
| Rear setback | 12 m | — |
| Site coverage | 60% ≤800 m² → 58% ≤900 m² → 56% ≤1000 m² → 54% ≤1200 m² → 52% ≤1500 m² → 50% | — |
| Private open space | 50 m² | — |
Source: Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Section A, Part 4 – Dwelling Houses (consolidation adopted 19 March 2024). Clauses: 4A.2 Building Setbacks (Controls 3, 9, 10, 11, 16); 4A.3 Built-Upon Area (Controls 1, 4); 4A.4 Landscaping; 4C.4 Private Open Space (Control 1). Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Ku-ring-gai’s low-density residential zone. Do not apply these figures to a dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development — Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Section A, Part 4 – Dwelling Houses (consolidation adopted 19 March 2024) sets those out separately, and Feasibly has not codified them.
What qualifies these Ku-ring-gai controls?
- Ku-ring-gai calls site coverage 'Built-Upon Area (BUA)'. The BUA maximum varies by BOTH lot size and storeys; site_coverage_tiers records the single-storey column — two-storey maxima are 2% lower in each band (58/56/54/52/50/50).
- Additional BUA sub-control: front setback area capped at 30% BUA (Control 4A.3.4).
- Front setbacks are unusually large for R2 (leafy North Shore) and vary by low/high side of street and storeys — see front_setback_note; 9m is the base minimum.
- Rear setback is DEPTH-based, not frontage-based: 12m for sites >48m deep, else 25% of average site depth (rear_by_frontage left null).
- Side setback for lots ≥20m wide is proportional (9% single / 12% two storey of site width), not a fixed metre value.
- Battle-axe lots (Control 4A.2.19): setback from the two long boundaries = 15% of site width or 3m (whichever greater); other boundaries 12m (>48m deep) or 25% of average depth.
- Dual occupancy has its own BUA schedule (50%/45%/40% of site area by storey mix) and separation rules — excluded here as this record is for standard dwelling houses.
- C4 Environmental Living zone (not R2) uses a formula-based BUA, excluded.
- No fixed reduced POS minimum for small lots; steep sites may get a depth (not area) reduction on merit.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Ku-ring-gai 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 Ku-ring-gai Council before making decisions.
Ku-ring-gai planning controls — common questions
Do these Ku-ring-gai controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Ku-ring-gai’s dwelling-house controls. A dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development is assessed under different standards, and Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Section A, Part 4 – Dwelling Houses (consolidation adopted 19 March 2024) states them separately — Feasibly has not codified those, so do not apply the numbers above to one.
Which zone do these Ku-ring-gai controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Ku-ring-gai’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Ku-ring-gai 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 Ku-ring-gai Council publish for dwellings?
Ku-ring-gai Council publishes 6 dwelling controls in Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Section A, Part 4 – Dwelling Houses (consolidation adopted 19 March 2024): 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 Ku-ring-gai figures?
These values were extracted from Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Section A, Part 4 – Dwelling Houses (consolidation adopted 19 March 2024) 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 Ku-ring-gai?
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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