Reference Data · New South Wales
Lismore DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
4 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Lismore Development Control Plan – Part A, Chapter 1: Residential Development (Lismore LEP 2012). 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 4 that Lismore 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.
Lismore, City of — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 6 m | Fixed 6m from the street boundary in zones R1, R2, R3 and RU5 (A1.1) — not a prevailing-line control. |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 40% | — |
| Private open space | 80 m² on sites ≤ 400 m² | — |
Source: Lismore Development Control Plan – Part A, Chapter 1: Residential Development (Lismore LEP 2012). Clauses: Section 4.1 Setbacks (A1.1, A1.2, A1.3); Density (P3, A3); Section 4.4 Open Space & Landscaping (A7.1, A8.1); Section 8 Small Lot Housing (A26.3); Section 11 Health Precinct (A39). Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Lismore’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 Lismore controls?
- Site coverage: no numeric percentage in the DCP. P3 requires dwelling density and site coverage merely 'consistent with the character and amenity of the residential area' (merit-based). The A3 density table (site area per dwelling: 200/250/300m2 by bedroom count) applies to MULTI DWELLING HOUSING only, not detached dwelling houses — deliberately not recorded as site coverage.
- Landscaping/open space (A7.1) = 40% of the site combined landscaping + open space; 70% of that area must be permeable (growing plants/grasses/trees). Recorded as landscaped_flat_pct=40; landscaped_deep_soil=false because the control is labelled 'permeable', not 'deep soil', and the 40% is landscaping+open space combined.
- Front setback A1.1 is a fixed 6m in R1/R2/R3/RU5 (not prevailing-line). RU1/R5/E3 = 15m from street (28m to classified/RMS roads, A1.5) — not applicable to R2.
- No numeric side or rear setback for a standard detached dwelling house. Side/rear setbacks are governed by A4.2 (progressive setback as building height increases — merit). Small Lot Housing (A26.3) sets a 0.9m minimum to the side boundary, but that is a specific small-lot-housing provision, not the standard R2 dwelling control.
- Private open space (A8.1): detached dwellings on lots >400m2 have NO specific numeric requirement (must be 'suitable/functional'); detached dwellings on lots <400m2 require min 80m2 primary open space (min dim 2.5m) plus 25m2 functional open space (min dim 4m). The pos_small_site fields capture the <400m2 case (max_area=400, min=80m2 primary); pos_min_sqm left null because the standard >400m2 lot has no numeric minimum. This is the inverse of the usual 'reduced-min-on-small-sites' pattern — small lots here get an explicit number, large lots do not.
- Rear-lane garage (A1.3): where a garage is perpendicular to a rear lane it must be setback 5.5m.
- Health Precinct (R3, 3+ storeys, Section 11, A39): building separation to side/rear = 6m habitable / 3m non-habitable up to 12m height, etc. — not a standard R2 dwelling-house control.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Lismore DCP data?
These values were machine-extracted from the source DCP and have not been independently re-checked. Treat them as screening grade: good enough to compare councils and to know which questions to ask, not a substitute for reading the clause before you rely on it. 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 Lismore, City of before making decisions.
Lismore planning controls — common questions
Do these Lismore controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Lismore’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 Lismore controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Lismore’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Lismore 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 Lismore, City of publish for dwellings?
Lismore, City of publishes 4 dwelling controls in Lismore Development Control Plan – Part A, Chapter 1: Residential Development (Lismore LEP 2012): front setback, secondary street 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 Lismore figures?
They are machine-extracted from Lismore Development Control Plan – Part A, Chapter 1: Residential Development (Lismore LEP 2012) and have not been independently re-checked, so treat them as screening grade — good enough to compare councils and to know which questions to ask, not a substitute for reading the clause. This is a lower confidence tier than our Victorian schedules, which a person reads and verifies from the source scheme.
Do these controls apply to every property in Lismore?
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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