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 2026-08-05.
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 6 controls Ku-ring-gai 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.
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.
Qualifications that change how these read
- 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.
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 Ku-ring-gai Council before making decisions.
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